Independence referendum campaigners have been warned to abide by the rules after Moray Council was left facing a £5,000 bill to remove stickers from road signs.
The local authority will have to pay an average cost of £350 to get rid of the Yes Scotland labels which have been plastered on about 25 markers in the region.
Representatives of both sides of the constitutional debate last night called for activists to be responsible while promoting their cause.
Yes Scotland’s Moray branch urged campaigners to “act appropriately”.
Council officials said the strong adhesive used is pulling a protective layer off the laminated road signs.
Mark Palmer, the returning officer for the Moray count in September’s referendum, said: “This leaves the sign vulnerable to water ingress and corrosion, which will shorten its life considerably.”
Douglas Ross, Scottish Conservative councillor for Fochabers Lhanbryde and member of Better Together Moray, said: “I hope both sides of the argument take heed.
“I have to say however that every sticker I’ve seen on road signs, bus shelters and lamp posts not just in Moray but across the Highlands have been Yes stickers.”
A spokesman for the Yes Moray campaign said: “Moray has a huge amount of campaigning activity going on and we’re very much aware of the rules that need to be followed.
“There are many people acting individually and we would urge campaigners on both sides to be enthusiastic and act appropriately.”
Chris Tuke, independent councillor for Heldon and Laich, said: “Sticking things to signs is criminal damage and it should be a cost to the culprit rather than the council.”
A Moray council spokesman said it was taking a full day for road engineers to clean up all the affected road signs, but many were then targeted again within 24 hours.
He added: “As the referendum is still seven weeks away this is likely to increase, so hopefully campaigners will hear our plea and use other places to promote their cause.”
Meanwhile, signs promoting a No vote on the A947 Aberdeen to Banff road just south of Turriff were damaged yesterday.
One local resident, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said the banners were torn down within seven hours of being erected.
She added: “This is alarming.”
Similar signs were vandalised in the Deeside area of Aberdeenshire earlier this week.