A UKIP election candidate has spoken out after two of the party's placards in West Oxfordshire were torn down.

Simon Strutt, the party's candidate for Witney, said it was "completely unacceptable" that placards put up earlier this week, one next to the A40 near Witney and one near Ducklington, had been vandalised.

Mr Strutt said: "It's very frustrating because we've had to put up with it at every election for the past few years.

"We've had cars vandalised and posters defaced with graffiti.

"Now we're getting it again and we're just trying to work out what we're going to do about it."

He added he could see no reason why someone would want to vandalise the placards.

Mr Strutt added: "We would really like to catch whoever is doing it because it's going to be really embarrassing for whoever is doing it.

"We get very angry about it because it's supposed to be a developed democracy but this makes it feel like it's an underdeveloped democracy."

Mr Strutt said there was no clear evidence whether it was the work of vandals or political opponents.

He said the party had suffered from similar problems in previous elections, with boards for UKIP's parliamentary candidate Nikolai Tolstoy continually graffitied in the 2010 election.

According to the candidate, eight large posters vandalised or graffitied repeatedly in the 2014 council elections, and anti-UKIP graffiti was daubed on the walls of the Cogges Farm visitor attraction in Witney last May.

He said the estimated cost of the damage was £2,500.

A Conservative placard near the A40 at the Eynsham roundabout has also been targeted this week. It was defaced, with the words David Cameron being changed to 'David Camoron'.

Natasha Whitmill for West Oxfordshire Conservative Association said: "We have had one large correx poster defaced at the Eynsham roundabout where it looks like the vandal(s) stood on the landowner's fence to chainsaw through the poster.

"They also broke the fence in the meantime which is obviously criminal damage and we have informed the local authorities."

She added: "We endeavour to replace or fix defaced or damaged posters. It is obviously foul play on behalf of the culprits, and in this case criminal damage, and we strongly condemn any vandalism of any political posters.

"We live in a country of free speech and democracy and so those wishing to express their political preferences should be respected and not fear repercussions from vandals."

Pete Mills, research officer for Unlock Democracy, a pressure group which campaigns for democratic freedoms, said: "It is certainly worrying if this vandalism turns out to be politically motivated.

"Political parties should be free to put forward their ideas at an election. If you disagree, the right way to show it is at the ballot box, not by destroying placards."

All three incidents have been reported to the police and Thames Valley Police spokesman James Williams said: "Thames Valley Police has received a report of criminal damage which occurred between April 4 at 12pm and April 7 at 12.15pm to a large poster near the A40 in Witney. We are investigating.

"Any witnesses or anyone with information should call 101."