A PROUD father who took photographs at a school production has received a worrying letter from the head teacher about his intentions.

Dave Flynn, who lives on Beckenham High Street, said he was asked to take a picture of a fellow parent’s child while capturing his son at a nativity performance.

Although Mr Flynn is a professional photographer he said he was there in a "purely personal capacity" and thought it would be no problem to do someone a favour.

But last week the head teacher of Bromley Road Infant School, Karen Minnis, wrote to the dad with concerns – noting a possible breach of the Data Protection Act.

Mr Flynn explained she intervened and removed the image after he had left it at reception for the parent to pick up.

He said: "The letter says ‘I have grave concerns with the manner in which the photo was taken and the purpose in using the photo.

"I was there as just a parent. I was there to see my son. I wanted to get some pictures of him as a memory."

The 45-year-old said other parents were taking photos. He also said he produced no other copy of the image in question and added he had not published it on any site and it is not for sale.

He said: "It’s discrimination. Why should what I do for a living have an effect on whether I’m allowed to take images, just the same as any other parent – this is political correctness gone way over the top."

Mr Flynn also said it had not crossed his mind to tell the school about his profession as his only thought was to see his son on stage.

He said: "I didn’t do anything wrong. Parents are allowed to take photos for personal use – I didn’t use it for anything else."

The head teacher told News Shopper it was "perfectly permissible for a parent to take a photo of a school production for their personal use," adding that other children appearing in shots can be acceptable. However, she declined to comment on policy further.

She added: "I don’t know why he’s contacted you."