The mystery of the North Cornwall election board thief who struck 35 times

A political mystery is unfolding in a Cornish constituency as the Duchy prepares to vote in a general election in two weeks’ time. Who is the phantom name of the Lib Dem billboard?

A visible feature of any election campaign are the posters, hoardings and hoardings that start popping up in windows, gardens and fields promoting political candidates and parties. North Cornwall is no exception. However, for a political team, erecting the campaign billboards turned into a real challenge.

After erecting dozens of diamond-shaped orange boards bearing the slogan “Ben Maguire, Winning Here for the Liberal Democrats”, the candidate’s team turned detective to try and discover who removed some of them, sometimes in broad daylight.

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Over the past two weeks hoardings have regularly disappeared from private properties supporting the Lib Dems. At the end of the count, it had happened 35 times. In particular, the route through Wadebridge and along the Kew Highway was relentlessly targeted.

Rosie, who lives near Withiel and is a Lib Dem volunteer, said: “I got home yesterday around 5pm and said to my sister ‘the council’s gone again’ but she got through 30 minutes before and it was still so high. someone caught him, but he could have easily been caught, he was pretty crazy.”

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She added: “It’s become a bit of cat and mouse now. We put up signs, whoever removes them, but we simply give more. And they’re usually bigger too.”

Another volunteer, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s been a great team effort to get our tiles out and it’s great when locals ask for one, but it’s physical work to put the stakes in the ground and this mystery thief is starting to wreak havoc with my back – it’s been five times now that my single plate has been taken.”

Lib Dem backer Matt Appleton, from St Tudy, added: “We have some wildlife cameras placed in strategic locations so we are confident we could catch someone on camera. It was irritating, but it didn’t hinder the campaign. Morale is high and there is a real spirit of camaraderie and positivity. I joked that he might be a secret Ben Maguire fan and create his own tribute somewhere.”

Liberal Democrat candidate Ben said: “Obviously we don’t want to speculate on who might do it or why. It was a challenge that we rose to and came stronger together as a team, but we would like to ask anyone. he’s just doing it to let the process run its course May is only two weeks and then we’ll be happy to give you as many stake boards as you want.”

The mysterious billboard thefts follow the defacement of election posters by Ben’s Tory rival Scott Mann while the Royal Cornwall Show was being held earlier this month. He said: “Volunteers from all parties work very hard during elections and it’s not nice when they have to go and collect or repair signs and posters that have been destroyed and damaged.”

This week a poster for Camborne and Redruth’s Conservative candidate Connor Donnithorne was vandalized by someone who put googly eyes over the Cornwall councillor’s glasses.