A mystery "saboteur" thought to have a grudge against a moorland pub has been revealed.

Since last Christmas pub landlord Karl Rowlett has been trying to discover who has been taking down signs directing people to the pub at Oldfield near Haworth. One was even dug out of a three feet deep concrete foundation.

After offering a £100 reward for information about three signs which cost a total of £500 it was discovered that Bradford Council was responsible.

It said they took them away because they were put up illegally.

An authority spokesman said: "We received a complaint from a member of the public as one of the signs was completely obscuring a legitimate sign. It was removed as a matter of urgency."

Asked why the Council had not contacted the Grouse Inn, the spokesman said: "We get a lot of people putting up illegal signs and we don't always write to them because the letters often get ignored."

When told of the discovery, the Grouse's joint licensee Mark Narey said: "I didn't know I had to apply for planning permission. I put the signs up myself.

"What gives the Council the right to vandalise my signs? I doubt they have the right to remove them like that."

Mr Rowlett said the signs were put up last year to help boost trade at the recently refurbished pub. In May the Grouse Inn underwent major structural changes and a refurbishment which cost in the region of £600,000.

The bar was extended to twice its original size, new toilets were installed and the kitchen was altered to improve the efficiency of food preparation and service.

The new signs first went up in September to direct people to the transformed pub, which employs 40 part-time and full-time staff.

On his way to work about a month ago Karl began to notice the signs were going missing.

The sign on Denby Hill, Oakworth, was the first to go and the next sign, set in 3ft of concrete by Ponden Mill, Stanbury, had been dug out of the ground, taken and the hole filled in.

The remains of the third sign were found over a wall, by Scartop Pine Villages, with only a metal bracket left behind.

Mr Rowlett added: "At first when I saw one sign turned round, I thought someone was messing about, just having a joke. Then when it happened again, I thought 'has someone got something against us?' These are proper signs which we had put up."

The Council spokesman added: "We would like to remind business owners they must ask our highways department for permission before signs can be erected.

"Too many signs can be distracting to motorists and unsightly"