A council’s social media presence has been “compromised” and members of the public have been urged to ignore any posts that appear which are 'offensive or political in nature.'

In a post to social media on Monday, Penrith Town Council has informed residents that it will not be posting on Facebook and Instagram for the time being as unauthorised posts are appearing.

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In a Facebook post, the council said: “Please be advised that until further notice, we will not be publishing any posts on either Facebook nor Instagram as one or both of the accounts appear to have been compromised.”

The spokesperson said: “Any posts, stories or reels that appear to have been generated by the town council that may be offensive or political in nature have not been generated by the town council and should be reported, ignored or deleted.”

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Information on key services and how to contact the councillor for your area will still be available on the town council’s website.