One line Ronnie and Reggie Kray wouldn’t cross in their criminal career

The Kray twins were convicted of two murders in 1969 and spent the rest of their lives behind bars.

Ronnie and Reggie were some of Britain's most notorious gangsters and ran The Firm from East London.

As their power grew and they opened a string of clubs, including an upmarket venue in London's West End, they counted celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland among their friends.

But while they were being photographed by David Bailey and even appearing on TV interviews, the brothers were running one of the most violent criminal outfits the country had ever seen.

As well as killing George Cornell and Jack McVitie, Ronnie and Reggie were also involved in armed robbery, arson, protection rackets and assaults.

But back in the 1950s their empire was still small and the first business they bought was a run down snooker club in Mile End, east London.

Ronnie and Reggie renovated the cluband it soon became a gathering place for the villains of the East End.

The twins were born in east London and raised almost single-handedly by their mum, Violet.

Ronnie and Reggie's father, Charlie Snr, was absent from home for long periods of time because he was on the run after deserting during the war.

The brothers idolised their mum and it shaped how they treated those around them.

So even though they were happy that gangsters and wannabe villains used their club, there were some exceptions to who they would allow in.

Mickey Bailey knew the brothers and was a regular in their club.

But in a new book about the brothers, Krays: The Final Word, by James Morton, he reveals he was banned because of Ronnie and Reggie's code.

Mickey said: "I was spending my time down the snooker hall and mixing with villains. I didn’t play, but it was a sort of apprenticeship of its own.

"It was a meeting place for older villains to talk about crime and pass their skills on to the youngsters.

My mother got wind of what I was up to, and since she’d known the Twins since they were boys she decided to go and speak to them.

"Apparently it was Ronnie she saw. Whether it was the same day or a couple of days later I don't know, but as me and a couple of friends walked across the waste ground in front of the hall Ronnie was on the steps.

"He says, “Where are you going?” and I said, “in for a cup of tea and a pie.”

"He just said, “It’ll be a long time before you’re allowed back here. You’re all barred. Your mother’s been down.”

"There was no malice from Ronnie. He was just doing what my mother wanted.

"Even at that relatively early age I knew you didn’t argue with the Twins."

• The Krays: The Final Word is released on November 14 by Mirror Books for £14.99and is available to buy at  mirrorbooks.co.uk  . Quote RB5 to get £3 off, reducing the price to £11.99.

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