Borough Green is home to aliens, retired muggers and elderly trapeze artists – if you believe a village noticeboard, that is.

For six months, tongue-in-cheek adverts have been appearing in the window of Shakti News in the High Street.

They have featured retired mugger known as Dave selling his selection of balaclavas and Flamenco dancer Antonio, who had to cancel his latest concert owing to a verruca.

The most recent one sees an elderly trapeze artist appealing for donations after being made redundant. His ad explains how he was made "circus to requirements".

Another is from a lonely extra-terrestrial villager who came to earth two years ago. He has used the board to seek fellow aliens for company – though "nutters" need not apply.

The notes all appear in the same handwriting, with many including fake contact details.

But the mischievous villager behind the ads has sworn the newsagent to secrecy.

Retired postman Dave Sutton, who has been sharing photos of the weird and wonderful adverts on the internet for six months, said they brighten up village life.

He said: "These adverts appear on a regular basis and have been creating some interest in the village.

"Some people thought that I may have added them but it is not me. I just take the photographs. I would not have the imagination to think these things up."

He added: "When I asked the newsagent about them he said that a local person pays for these cards to be displayed in the window and that people come from all the local businesses just to look at them.

"They certainly raise interest and I'm not the only one to take photographs."