CONSERVATIVE supporters have had their election campaign poster torn down – but for once it wasn’t by an opposition party.

The 8ft by 4ft board is one of several electioneering posters put up illegally on public land over the past few weeks.

A villager complained about the poster, which appeared on Worcestershire County Council-owned land on the side of the B4084 Pershore to Worcester road in Stoulton.

The council ordered that it be removed as it was breaching the Highways Act. Councillor Rob Adams, Conservative member for Upton Snodsbury division, puts up most of the party’s election signs in the area, however he said he was not responsible for the offending sign.

He has now had the sign moved and apologised to anyone who might have been offended.

He said: “During elections I always make sure we have permission from landowners and never put these up on public land.

“But because this is a general election year, there are more party activists about and unfortunately, this sign has been put on highways land.”

Jon Fraser, the county council highways customer and community manager, said: “If we get a complaint about any non-official sign, we will be taking it down.

“It’s fine if it’s in a private field but if it’s on highways land we’ll be removing it – that’s the law. It’s illegal to put a non-standard sign on the highway for health, safety and visibility reasons but in the run-up to an election, we’re even more aware.”

The complainant told your Worcester News: “I’m not against signs in a garden or window but this is a great big board on public land.

“If it was a business advertisement, it would be taken down immediately.”

All political parties’ supporters have been putting up signs across the county with gusto – and lawfully for the most part – in the run-up to the general election on Thursday, May 6.

Mr Fraser said four signs had been removed since the election was called but the Stoulton board “was the biggest so far”.

One other was a Conservative poster which was removed in Welland, near Malvern, but it was not recorded which party the remaining two flyers supported.