THE BBC has remained defiant over its stance to refuse to send staff to Ibrox after Rangers banned one of their reporters, in the wake of complaints from fans.

Rangers supporters lodged their concerns about the BBC boycott which was to begin with the club's3-0  League Cup victory over Peterhead on Monday.

The BBC insisted they had no choice but to take action after senior sports reporter Chris McLaughlin was told to stay away.

He was banned after being accused of filing misleading and unbalanced reports by the Ibrox club.

Some Rangers fans complained saying that the BBC actions were indicative of what they felt was a continued bias against the club.

In response, complainers were told by a BBC complaints representative: "We have received a wide range of feedback on this matter so the response below strives to address the majority of those concerns raised but may not address all of the specific points you have mentioned.

"Please be assured your comments have been registered and sent to senior editorial staff at BBC Scotland who have asked that we forward their response as follows: 'We are disappointed that Rangers took the decision to ban our reporter Chris McLaughlin from Ibrox. We believe it is unjustified and we stand by the integrity and the quality of our journalism.

'We will continue to report on Rangers both on and off the pitch and will feature match action where appropriate but, until this issue is resolved, we will not be sending journalists to Ibrox or attending Rangers’ press conferences.' ”

Fans unsatisfied with the response have further challenged the BBC and some have even tried to raise a complaint with Ofcom, the communications regulator.

One fan said:  "There was no thought went into your reply as all my fellow supporters who sent a complaint got the same response, I find this totally unacceptable from the BBC, although I am not surprised and unfortunately, that says all there needs to be said about you current Scottish staffing.

"Your tit for tat response belittles your corporation and the unbiased reporting you used to be famed for..."

The boycott is expected to continue on Friday with Rangers' Ladbrokes Championship game against St Mirren and a match against Hibernian on August 23.

Some fans complained that the BBC did not do the same when its reporter Jim Spence underwent a ban in covering Dundee at Dens Park.

However it is known at the time that BBC management chose not to send anyone as a replacement.

Rangers has previously said its latest concerns with coverage came to a head after a BBC report 'unfairly focused' on the arrest of Rangers fans after the club’s 6-2 win over Hibs.

Two years ago, Rangers banned BBC journalists Chris McLaughlin and Chick Young from the club's stadium and training ground after the broadcaster revealed a leaked document which indicated a plot to sack manager Ally McCoist.

In July 2011, the Beeb were banned and later issued an apology to McCoist over their reporting of his views on football violence and sectarianism.

A second ban came three months later over their documentary Rangers – The Inside Story about Craig Whyte’s disastrous club takeover.

In September, 2012, the BBC infuriated the club again with a spoof of the American TV drama Mad Men depicting McCoist falling from a building.