Middlesbrough mayor vows to remove 'embarrassing' parmo signs

The council has put up 141 banners "two or three" if which are inappropriate, Andy Preston said

A mayor has vowed to remove promotional banners in his town which have been deemed "insulting" and "embarrassing".

Middlesbrough Council put up 141 banners bearing slogans aimed at promoting the town and its heritage.

But several, including "we are parmo and chips" and "we are mint", have prompted strong criticism.

Mayor Andy Preston said some of the signs had been an "error of judgement". The council said it has been deciding which banners to remove.

The council spent £13,653 on the signs up as part of the We Are Middlesbrough campaign it is planning to launch, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Matt Storey, Labour group leader, said the banners are "insulting" and reduce the town to "cheap stereotypes".

He added: "I love living and working in this town and there is far more to Middlesbrough than parmos and clichés."

Personal trainer Mike Hind criticised the reference to the parmo, a well-known local dish consisting of a flattened chicken breast caked in breadcrumbs and topped with béchamel sauce and cheese.

"We are wasting this one chance to sell ourselves to the world for an unhealthy takeaway and some slang comments which my kids don't use," he said.

The parmo in all its glory

Former deputy mayor Antony High said the messages were "embarrassing", "belittling" and "poor for the town".

Mr Preston praised most of the banners but added that "two or three are ill-conceived and need taking down".

He said: "I absolutely agree a small number aren't appropriate and I've already asked for them to be removed as soon as possible.

"But the council's marketing team are talented local people who work their socks off and don't deserve the public criticism they're getting.

"They do loads of good work and came up with a great concept for this - but made an error of judgement for some of the banners."

A council spokesman said: "The banners put up in recent weeks celebrate a wide range of local reference points, including colloquialisms, football and our proud industrial heritage.

"We Are Middlesbrough is designed to build local pride and support businesses."