ANGRY Sidmouth UKIP members have slammed vandals who defaced the party’s promotional boards as ‘cowards’ using ‘fascist’ tactics.

Advertising placards on the A3052, in place ahead of the EU elections on May 22, have been defaced or removed in the past week and police have been informed of the incidents.

A party member even had to apologise to the landlord of his local after one was dumped in the grounds of a popular pub.

Fortfield Chambers resident Lawrie Brownlee, who challenged for a Devon County Council seat last year as a UKIP candidate and secured 1,505 votes in the process, has voiced his upset.

He said: “Once again UKIP’s election boards have been vandalised. The cowards that have adopted the tactics of the fascists are beyond the pale.

“UKIP has provided three public meetings in East Devon for anyone to turn up and voice their criticism - we believe in free speech. We have never touched any other party’s advertising or literature.

“If these idiots had been following politics closely they would have realised that UKIP is enjoying a period where whatever dirt is thrown at us simply does not stick. I believe that people will sympathise when they see our damaged boards.

“The matter has been referred to the police.”

Mr Brownlee said boards on the A3052 were defaced with red crosses and a pair at Steven’s Cross were removed.

“There must have been more than one person involved,” he added.

“They dumped them in the Blue Ball paddock. I had to explain to the landlord that we had not dumped them there.”