A VILLAGE has been rocked by an anonymous poster campaign attacking newly-appointed community safety wardens.

The posters have been found at several locations in Carlin How, east Cleveland, targeting wardens who began patrolling the village at the beginning of January.

The posters are written on official notepaper from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council in black capitals. Containing misspellings, they say: "Warning warning, keep your eyes open for your local sheriff deputys. Don't let them intimidate you, they aren't nobody special keep an eye on them."

Local councillor Steve Kay said: "All this is a mystery. Why has someone got it in for the wardens, who are they and how do the posters come to be on official council notepaper?

"Whatever the answers, it is, to say the least, an irresponsible act, no doubt aimed at unsettling the wardens and destroying their credibility.

"I know the wardens will rise above this smear. Everything they do in our villages is aimed at improving things by liasing with the police and the public, reporting all manner of problems and fighting the sources of litter and dog dirt.

"The people of Carlin How have already showed they support the wardens by removing the flyposters. I sincerely hope we have seen the end of this negative nonsense."