A CONTROVERSIAL message board outside Darlington Football Club's new stadium has been referred to the local government watchdog.

The ombudsman, who investigates council activities, was called in by people living near the stadium.

The protestors, who fought against the siting of the ground on Neasham Road, have complained that the board does not have planning permission and is "distressing and illegal".

Darlington Borough Council is reviewing the legality of the board, which was displaying statements about The Northern Echo yesterday and a well-known radio presenter.

Residents in the Neasham Road area took their complaint about the board, as well as an alleged lack of public consultation regarding the stadium, to the ombudsman and are seeking an inquiry.

Jan Mazurk, of the Neasham Road Action Group, said: "I want to take it forward as a formal complaint against the council. It is still on-going and the board is very distressing and not legal."

The council said last night that its planners were investigating.

Yesterday, The Northern Echo reported that the latest message followed others which asked whether the paper's editor should be "shown the red card" and falsely declared that Century FM radio presenter Paul "Goffy" Gough was gay.

An additional message went on the board yesterday, saying: "We did not declare Goffy gay."

Club chairman George Reynolds said yesterday that he would remove the structure if asked, but would replace it with a message board on trailers.

He said: "I'll put two 40ft trailers there, and they can't do anything about it as long as the wagons are taxed."

Mr Reynolds said that the structure was purely a notice board and was not being used to advertise anything for commercial gain.

"I have done nothing but pay £5.2m of debts off and keep the club afloat," he added.

The latest message about The Northern Echo is retaliation for the paper reporting that Tuesday night's defeat at home to Cambridge United was watched by the lowest league crowd at Feethams for five years.

* Figures published by the Audit Bureau of Circulations show The Northern Echo sold an average of 60,522 copies per day from July to December 2002. The Northern Echo was the second best performing regional morning newspaper in England in that period.