Mystery pranksters have drawn a laugh from villagers after returning a missing road sign - but screwing it on upside down.

The sign welcoming visitors to Appledore, near Ashford, was stolen from Kenardington Road earlier this year and was set to be replaced by Kent County Council.

However, the vandals struck first, returning the missing road board back to its original spot over the weekend before council officers had the chance to act.

Many residents saw the funny side of the incident, but there were initially concerns a council team had been behind the reattachment.

Wendy Selmes posted on Facebook: “A highly trained individual has replaced the missing Appledore sign, as discussed at the council meeting last night.”

Sarah Heritage-Smith also commented: “I saw it today. You really can't make it up.”

A spokesman for Appledore Parish Council said it believes the sign is “the same one that some weeks prior had been reported missing”.

“Arrangements were already in place for Kent County Council (KCC) highways department to replace the missing sign,” they said.

“The reappearance of the original sign fitted in the upside-down position was certainly unexpected and suspected to be the work of pranksters.

“The highways department will be replacing the sign in due course.”

Looking to right the wrongs of the recent vandalism swiftly, a KCC spokeswoman said: “The welcome sign for Appledore was stolen, returned, and reattached upside down by the individual who stole it.

“KCC officers have raised a job to rectify this, and the work will take place this week."

Last month, vandals also struck in Deal when the coastal town’s welcome sign was modified with white tape to read ‘Welcome to DFL’ in a dig at the rise of Londoners in Kent.

The vandalised site in Sholden prompted a lively public debate on Facebook, attracting 500 reactions alongside a 200-strong mixed bag of comments.

It came as tens of thousands of city dwellers moved to the county in the past three years amid rising housing costs and bolstered transport links.