Police drop investigation over fake council letter

A police investigation into a right wing Facebook page that shared a fake Worcestershire County Council letter has been dropped.

The Worcester Patriots, who call for "truth" in their biography, falsely claimed to be the authority on 17 March and stated £70,000 had been allocated for "British flagpoles".

In response, the council reported the incident to West Mercia Police, which said it was working to establish if "any criminal offences had been committed".

Now, in an update, a spokesperson for the force said: "Whilst the sharing of false information can, understandably, cause concern, we have reviewed this specific incident and are not treating it as a criminal matter."

They added: "We encourage everyone to take care when engaging with information online and to verify facts with an official source before sharing it further."

Worcester Patriots has since deleted the post, but the letter contained a fake council letterhead that had supposedly been signed off by "Communications Office, Worcestershire County Council".

The letter read: "Worcestershire County Council wishes to formally inform your organisation of a forthcoming civic improvement initiative taking place across the county.

"The council has approved the allocation of £70,000 to fund the installation of British flagpoles and flags at selected roundabouts, traffic islands, and other prominent locations throughout the Worcestershire area.

"This initiative forms part of a wider effort to enhance the appearance of public spaces while recognising the heritage and identity shared by many communities across the county.

"Planning and preparatory work for this project is currently under way. Installation is expected to begin in July.

"We recognise the strong community interest in initiatives that celebrate local and national pride, and we hope that these improvements will be positively received by residents and visitors alike."

At the time of the incident, the county council said it took the "sharing of fake information seriously" and had reported it through the official channels.

The BBC has contacted the authority for an updated response.

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.