THE LIBERTINES - LIBERTINES: 'WE DIDN'T SACK DOHERTY'

THE LIBERTINES star CARL BARAT has hit out at reports the band sacked frontman PETE DOHERTY.

Doherty left the group last month (JUN04) after failing his latest attempt to quit his addictions to crack cocaine and heroin.

But Barat - who shares vocal duties with best pal Doherty - insists he has always been welcome to return to the group, but they feared his drug problem would destroy the band and kill him.

Barat says, "Pete has not been kicked out of the band. I think it would be irresponsible to play with Peter when he' sin this state and I don't even know if he could handle it himself right now.

"Peter's got to clean up. Then he can come back to the band and we can have a friendship again.

"It's the hardest thing, making him understand."

Doherty has criticised Barat and bandmates JOHN HASSAL and GARY POWELL for performing at Scotland's T IN THE PARK festival without him.

But Barat insists it hurt them as much: "I don't want to be playing these gigs. It feels wrong - I'm singing his songs and doing his album - of course he should be here. But we couldn't just carry on the way it was going. Peter was going to die or someone was going to get killed."

Meanwhile, sources hint the group may reform tonight, at a London exhibition of photographs of the band taken by ROGER SARGENT.