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Barclays bank has denied removing a giant eagle emblem from one of its buildings because of concerns over possible Nazi connotations.

The 14ft, three-and-a-half ton aluminium bird was taken down on Sunday from its perch on top of Barclays House in Poole, Dorset.

One Barclays insider had told the Times newspaper that the emblem was "rather a Teutonic-looking eagle" with "unfortunate connotations".

It had been suggested that the eagle was taken down amid fears that ABN Amro, the Dutch bank which Barclays is currently battling to takeover, might be offended by the emblem because of the bird's links with Nazism. The Nazis occupied the Netherlands during the second world war.

But the bank has insisted the eagle was removed because it was "out of date" branding.

A Barclays spokesman stressed that the decision to remove the eagle from its Poole offices had "no more significance" and was "nothing to do with anything else".

The eagle was used as a Third Reich symbol, but was adopted long before by Barclays. The bank first used the bird as its emblem in 1728.

Although the eagle has now flown from Barclays' offices in Poole, residents and local politicians have expressed sadness at the removal of the symbol. The eagle is thought to have topped the building for at least 30 years.

"One could almost see it as a piece of local art. It is a decision tinged with sadness," Poole council leader Brian Leverett is quoted as saying by the Guardian newspaper.

Meanwhile it is unclear whether Barclays is intending to keep its eagle symbol should its planned merger with ABN Amro go ahead.

The bank is currently battling to takeover its rival, with a second bid put forward by a consortium led by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) posing a threat to its acquisition ambitions.