RED-FACED council bosses have been forced to rip down posters promoting an anti-social behaviour hotline ... after confusing Darwen with its Australian sound-a-like.

Dozens of posters were stuck up inside phone boxes across Blackburn with Darwen promoting the new government-funded service, only for residents to ring in and complain that Darwen had been spelt 'Darwin.'

Officers initially claimed they had spotted the problem and removed the offending posters within two days - although two, on London Road and East Park Road, both Blackburn - were spotted as late as recently as last Friday

It isn't the first time Blackburn with Darwen Council has got the spelling of the second largest urban area it serves wrong.

And the spelling glitch is the latest in a long line of problems to beset the hotline, described by opposition councillors as little more that a Labour Party gimmick.

Launched earlier this year, the hotline is supposed to encourage people to report anti-social behaviour problems like begging and fly-tipping to the council.

But the Lancashire Evening Telegraph discovered that no extra money was being offered to the council to help sort out complaints, and that the calls were only being diverted to existing council phonelines.

And, on several occasions, instead of callers being routed to staff in the neighbourhood services department, they found themselves speaking to staff at childrens' nurseries -- much to the nursery staffs' annoyance.

Adam Scott, director of regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "Blackburn with Darwen Community Safety Partnership has been selected as a Together Action Area on anti-social behaviour, in recognition of good practice in the area.

"The publicity materials were produced centrally by the Home Office and although the correct spelling was used on all other materials, "Darwen" was spelt incorrectly on adverts used in telephone kiosks.

"This was spotted immediately and corrected within two days, but it appears some have been missed."

In 2001, when the council was re-surfacing Darwen Street, they also spelt it 'Darwin Street.'

Coun Paul McGurty, a Tory councillor, said: "The whole thing has been a joke from beginning to end. It's not improved anyone's lives and it has just made the council look stupid.

"People see through gimmicks quickly and that is all this is.

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