A sign in the village of Beyton asking people not to feed the geese and to supervise their children on the play equipment has been branded “ridiculous”.

The double-sided sign which has appeared on the green in front of the play area has ruffled some feathers in the village, which is a conservation area.

David Mole, 64, whose house has views of the green, said it “sticks out like a sore thumb”.

He said Beyton was a conservation area yet the parish council had put a “hideous, white, glaring sign” in the middle of the green.

He added the advice given was “commonsense”. “How many years have the geese been here and did we need a sign saying don’t feed the geese? Never. It’s not just offensive it’s insulting, saying to country people ‘you don’t know anything, this is what you have got to do’.”

He added: “It’s a sign of things to come: signs everywhere telling us what not to do.”

His son Phil Mole, 29, who lives next door, said of the sign: “It’s just unnecessary.”

Vice chairman of Beyton Parish Council, Roger Wyartt, disagreed the sign was “over the top,” adding it was to remind people of two things: to supervise their children on the play equipment and not to feed the geese.

He said in the last 10 years there had been two instances of people not supervising their children on the equipment and then making claims against the parish council for dangerous equipment.

He said: “We want people to see it, read it and take notice. That’s why it’s there.” He said the need for the sign “overrides the fact it’s a conservation area”.