YELLOW ribbons, which were put up to show support for renovating the town's lido, have been taken down from the railings outside the redundant saltwater attraction by officers from Wychavon District Council.

Hundreds of fluttering ribbons have also been dotted around the town by residents angry that the amenity could be demolished to make way for a wet play area, as proposed by the council.

Last week the campaign was featured in The Advertiser and since then many townsfolk have taken up the idea of showing their support with a yellow ribbon.

But lido campaigners have been shocked by the decision to take the ribbons down.

A council spokesman said: "I can confirm that we have taken down the ribbons. At first we left them up because we thought it was a mark of respect to those who died in the London bombings, but as soon as we found out what it was for, we took them down."

When asked why the council took the ribbons down, the spokesman said: "We had dozens of complaints."

The Advertiser office has been flooded with townsfolk complaining that the ribbons have been removed.

There have been no complaints about them being left up.

When pushed the officer was unable to say who had complained and added that he did not work in the department involved anyway.

SALT spokesman Ian Wild said: "We were shocked that the council would take down the ribbons. They were not hurting anyone and showed support for a town amenity. It is another spectacularly bad piece of public relations on its part," he added.

kate.hughes@midlands.newsquest.co.uk