Neighbours keen to give Sutton Council a rude awakening over "propaganda signs" going up in their street got one of their own, when contractors took them down at 2am.
Residents in Devonshire Road and Langley Park Road, Sutton, had complained to Sutton Council about the 4ft signs, which told them how they could influence local services.
In response council officers ordered their removal, but the 2am operation disturbed dozens of tired families in the process.
The operation also drew criticism after it was revealed contractors were paid double time to remove the posters, which form part of a £28,000 Keep Doing It campaign.
John Turner, a retired civil servant, said: “I was annoyed and amazed when I was woken by the noise of a Skylift right outside my bedroom window at 2am.
“I can’t believe the council would sign-off this kind of work.”
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said: “We are a family-of-five and were woken up by the noise they were making.
“It is really infuriating.”
The posters read: “You can influence local services. You made this road safer. Keep doing it.”
The Keep Doing It campaign, funded by the Government’s Local Public Partnership Reward Grant, was launched in October to end in December.
The campaign forms part of a Sutton Council target to increase the amount of people who feel they can influence services and its success will be assessed in a forthcoming Ipsos Mori survey.
There are 60 banners in total around the borough at a cost of £5,000, which includes the cost of their installation and removal.
Deputy leader of the opposition Councillor Tony Shields said: “The whole thing smacks of irony. Why are they spending money on signs telling people what a good job they are doing?
“Communicating with residents is vital but this is propaganda on the rates, approved by town hall bosses, and hoisted up at considerable expense to the taxpayer.”
Figures released earlier this year by Ipsos Mori showed Sutton was 29th out of 33 London councils for the percentage of residents who felt they influenced decisions in their area.
A spokesman for Sutton Council said if the campaign was successful the council and its partners could win Government funding of up to £400,000 to spend on public services.
He said: “Two banners were put up in the wrong place in Devonshire Road and we therefore instructed the company to take them down and resite them, at no additional cost to the council.
“This work would usually take place in the evening to avoid disrupting traffic.”
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