THE council has been targeted by pranksters.

East Ayrshire Council has become the victim of a spoof social media account which takes jabs at the the local authority.

The Facebook page titled 'East Ayrshire Cooncil' sprung up last week.

It's unclear who is behind the page which sets its sights on the council and local councillors.

In one post, Council leader Douglas Reid came under fire. The page joked that 'Cooncillor Reid was arrested this for vandalism' accompanied by a photo of foul-mouthed graffiti.

In another post, entitled 'Pothole News', it said: "Head of Roads at East Ayrshire Cooncil has issued safety advice to fishermen. ‘It has come to my attention that a Pothole Fishing Craze is sweeping the area. I urge fishermen to fish with caution and to follow strict safety advice"

It also included a spoof response from East Ayrshire Council Head of Roads, Stewart Turner. It read: "It's important that we consider our safety before taking part in these sort of activities. People just don’t realise how deep these potholes can get. The depth can be very deceiving. We are working with various partner agencies and identified various locations where we will be posting lifeguards on site. Safety is of paramount importance and I take my responsibilities very seriously."

Another post joked that Prince Charles is set to take up permanent residency at Dumfries House, saying: "It is with great delight that we can announce that Dumfries House is to become the official Royal Residence of Prince Charles, the Duke of Rothseay. Following the sale of Clarence House to the Saudi Royal Family, Prince Charles asked the Queen to grant Dumfries House Palace Status. The Duke and Dutchess will move to Dumfries House sometime in November.

"Prince Charles has also applied for additional cooncil funding for a Royal Distillery on the banks of the River Afton. £20million has been earmarked for the project.

"Since buying Dumfries House back in 2007 Prince Charles and East Ayrshire Cooncil have spent and absolute fortune on modernizing the estate. Chief Executive, Fiona Lees said that the place was ‘Fit for a King’! A spokeswomen for the Prince said that that the Prince and his family were overwhelmed by the amount of support and assistance from the Cooncil and hope it continues.

"It has also been confirmed that Prince Harry has sold his Kensington Palace Apartment. He has recently purchased the Outdoor Swimming Pool at New Cumnock where he has submitted a Planning Application to build a Play Boy type mansion complete with outdoor swimming pool just off New Cumnocks Main Street. As part of the planning application the outdoor swimming pool will open its doors to the general public a few days each year during January. The Prince is keen to recreate an Ocean Club Ibiza themed Outdoor pool in New Cumnock. Locals have welcomed the idea!"

However, East Ayrshire Council didn't see the funny side of the parody account.

A spokesman for EAC said: “We fully support humour, the freedom of speech and the right to express opinions, but targeting individual members of staff is inappropriate.

“We will therefore continue to monitor the spoof page. In the meantime, the ongoing work we do for our communities and local residents can be viewed at the real East Ayrshire Council Facebook page, Twitter and on the council website.”