A cash-strapped council has been slammed for painting "School Keep Clear" on a residential street where there has been no school for 15 years.

Residents were left scratching their heads after the bizarre bright yellow markings appeared outside their homes on Greendock Street, in Longton, last week.

Edensor Technology College had once occupied the nearby area but has been closed since 2011 after merging with another secondary school two-and-a-half miles away.

Homeowners have now spoke of their anger following the "unbelievable error" and questioned who will be picking up the bill to rectify the mistake.

Locals also pointed out that as well as there not being a school at the location for 15 years workmen have also painted the 'S' upside down.

They also blasted Stoke-on-Trent City Council for resurfacing a street which "didn't need doing" while neighbouring streets riddled with potholes were left alone.

Ali Hassan, 72, a former property landlord, who lives feet away from the sign, said: "There has not been a school here for 15 years - it moved and merged with another academy.

"Surely if they would have looked up and seen my house it would be pretty obvious it's not a school.

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"I now want to know how much it is going to fix and who is going to pay for it? Will it be the taxpayer footing the bill for this?

"And also, who at the council was responsible in the first place. How do you make such an error?

"There's probably a guy sitting in an office behind a computer making lots of money and he doesn't have an idea what's going on.

"Its not even a converted school building, so doesn't resemble a school in any way, they flattened it and built 193 new houses around here.

"People are worried they might get a parking fine now for parking on their own street. It's truly bizarre.

"Also, they came out and resurfaced a road that didn't even need resurfacing.

"There's loads of potholes on the next street along, but they tarmac over this street and paint a sign for a school that doesn't exist.

"It's crazy and who knows how much it has cost and will now cost to put right.

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"What a waste of paint and money."

Benjamin Elks, grassroots development manager at the Taxpayers Alliance, said: "Local taxpayers will be wondering how a council managed to paint 'school keep clear' markings outside a school that disappeared 15 years ago.

"This is exactly the kind of wasteful bureaucratic blunder that leaves residents tearing their hair out while genuine local problems like potholes are ignored.

"Stoke-on-Trent Council should remove the markings immediately and explain how such an absurd mistake was ever signed off in the first place."

Others took to social media to express their dismay and also pointing out the S was upside down.

They said: "Also I know this sounds crazy but the S is upside down!!!"

Another added: "Didn't the workers doing it question it when they realised there was no school. You'd expect at least one to notice it."

A third simply put: "Simply unbelievable", while another added: "The stencil painter needs to go back to... School?"

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Jane Ashworth, Labour leader at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, has apologised to residents and said the authority would review the issue.

She told the BBC there "clearly isn't a school" next to the sign and branded the work "a mess".

She added: "I'm annoyed for the residents that live there that have been messed about but embarrassed that we made such a mistake.

"What we will be doing is reviewing how it happened, apologising to the residents, and making it absolutely clear that anybody who parks on what appears to be double yellow line there will not be ticketed."