South Ayrshire Council has been forced to erect a sign to prevent a person from defecating after dark in one of their car parks.

Staff at the council’s Trading Standards were horrified arriving at work in the mornings to find human excrement in the parking area behind John Street.

The phantom pooper seemed to be emptying their bowels in the vicinity under the cover of darkness and even, on occasion, left stools on the organisation’s doorstep.

In a bid to put a halt to the unseemly business, a sign politely asking the culprit to stop had no effect, so the council installed lighting in the car park.

When this failed to deter the person (or persons) from defecating in the area, the council placed a more direct notice on the car park wall.

The sign, which the council indicated had appeared to have had the desired effect, gives the following warning: “Defecating in our car park is disgusting.

“This area is now under video surveillance.

“You will be reported to the police.”

A spokesperson from South Ayrshire Council said: “There was a recurring problem with human waste being left in the car park which the sign appears to have solved.”

While the signs are unusual in this country, there have been similar problems elsewhere.

And some weren't shy of being a bit more graphic than South Ayrshire Council.

In 2015, Iceland made the news when it erected a number of signs aimed at stopping tourists defecating and urinating in public.

It was reported that visitors were fouling cemeteries, car parks and other popular destinations.

The signs show a human squatting with the words 'No Human Waste' prominent.