THE QUEEN'S composer has warned that Scotland's arts could be the real loser from holding the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the Queen's Master of Music and one of the foremost composers of modern times fears that funds will be diverted from Scottish arts to pay for Glasgow hosting the games in 2014.

It has been estimated that it will cost the city £288 million to stage the sporting event, with most of the funding coming from the Scottish government. But much of the Scottish arts also relies heavily on public finance.

Maxwell Davies, who lives on the Orkney isle of Sanday, said he feared the Scottish arts could end up paying a huge part of the bill for the games - and the SNP cannot be trusted on its promises.

"The history of all these games is that they cost a lot more than first thought - just look at the Olympics," said Maxwell Davies, who is conductor and composer laureate of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

"Secondly, the SNP have not been that good at sticking to their promises recently about the police and school class sizes and promises they have made over funding the arts must also be at risk as a result.

"It is quite clear to me that paying for these games will take precedence over many areas, and especially the arts. The same thing has happened over the London Olympics.

"But we risk sacrificing decades of building Scotland's arts up to the world-class level they now occupy for the sake of a one-off event - no matter how great - in 2014.

"I am delighted Scotland has won the games and hope it is a great success - and widely involves Scottish artists so our culture is showcased too.

"But I am speaking out now because I can read the early warning signs. I will personally fight any move to starve the arts in Scotland - which are every bit a showpiece as these games - for the sake of paying for this event."

Maxwell Davies has previously warned that the London Olympics threaten Britain's arts and now he says they face the "double whammy" of the Commonwealth Games.

"There is already a serious risk that huge sums of money for the arts will be diverted to pay for the Olympics," said Maxwell Davies.

"We are already seeing evidence of this and nobody knows what the final bill for the Olympics will be.

"But, whereas the Olympics could prove to be Gordon Brown's cultural Iraq, the Commonwealth Games could prove to be Mr Salmond's nemesis.

"If the arts are raided to pay for these games it will have a devastating effect for years. Some things may never recover.

"In Scotland it will be felt particularly hard because so much of the Scottish arts, for very good reasons, relies heavily on public funding.

"The amount of money that could be taken away from the arts could put them back years. I am really worried over it. I think these games could be a real test of the SNP's pre-election commitment to the arts as much as anything."

Peter Wishart, the SNP's culture spokesman, said Maxwell Davies was right to raise the concerns. "These are legitimate worries, and I too, have huge worries over the way money is being diverted from arts groups to pay for the London Olympics," said Wishart.

"But we have learned the lessons of that and I am sure we will not be repeating them with the Commonwealth Games.

"I am certain government colleagues will be reassuring the arts and cultural community in Scotland that we won't plunder their resources to pay for our games."

There are already concerns that more lottery money will be diverted to pay for the Olympic Games.

The Conservatives claim there has already been a £200m cut in funding for arts and heritage every year since 1997 - by raiding the National Lottery.

Leaders of Britain's largest performing arts unions, trade associations and lobby groups recently sent a joint letter to the prime minister Gordon Brown warning of the dire consequences of the Olympics Lottery raid for the cultural sector.

Seven organisations representing the vast majority of employers, performers, artists and technical staff are pressing Brown to address as a "matter of urgency" the precarious financial situation for the arts, which is set to lose an extra £137m to the 2012 Olympics.

Earlier this year, while still chancellor, Brown warned Olympic organisers over the rising cost of construction. Despite already raising the budget for the 2012 games from £2.375 billion to £9.3bn, Brown is insisting Olympic organisers keep a tighter grip on spending.