Vandals have some obvious fun with sign for man called Buckland

Voters looking to take a stand against political leaders by spoiling their ballot papers have in the past found creative ways of doing so.

Some choose to scrawl their disapproval of the candidates on offer in their constituency in lengthy ballot box protests, while others opt for simpler options.

Giant drawings of a penis, for example.

But it has now become clear that rude election protests are not being saved just for polling day – as unfortunate Tory candidate Robert Buckland discovered this week.

The justice secretary was forced to call police when vandals got creative and changed one letter in his surname by painting over it on a massive billboard poster erected in his south Swindon seat.

Mr Buckland, 51, said online: ‘I have been made aware of the vandalism of my election poster which has appeared on Wootton Bassett Road and will be reporting it to the police.’

His political opponents joined him to criticise the graffiti artist’s rhyming work.

Labour candidate Sarah Church said: ‘I don’t agree with or condone defacing things like this. It’s childish.

‘That billboard is very well-placed but is very accessible and that leaves it open to vandalism, unfortunately.

‘One of the reasons I chose not to have a billboard and decided to spend the money on other things was because I thought there was a danger of something like this happening.’

And Liberal Democrat candidate Stan Pajak said: ‘I’m very much against it.

‘People’s appreciation of politicians in general seems to be at an all-time low, politics is in a poor state right now and this is symptomatic of that.

‘It’s a very strange election.’

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