Signs slamming the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic have been stuck to the front of the Hampstead and Kilburn Conservative Party’s office.

The cardboard placards were spotted by the Ham&High on Sunday morning, attached to the windows of the local association’s HQ in Heath Hurst Road, yards from Hampstead Heath.

The three posters pointed to the UK’s death toll figures, saying “blood on their hands,” and “shame on the UK govt”. It is believed activists had put them up on Saturday night or in the early hours of Sunday morning, after the death toll in the UK rose by 56 to 46,566.

Behind the signs lay posters promoting the local party’s campaign policies, including more electric car charging points, more police and opening three “micro-parks” in Hampstead. The office is in Camden Council’s Hampstead Town ward, which is represented by three Tory councillors.

Hampstead Town councillor and leader of the party on the council Oliver Cooper confirmed the signs had been taken down on Sunday lunchtime. He said the vandalism contrasted with his party’s “positive local campaigns”.

He said: “There is a particular irony of vandalising posters highlighting Camden Conservatives’ commitment to more police and cleaning up our streets. The contrast between this vandalism and our positive local campaigns could not be clearer.

“As we’ve seen in recent years, vandalism, fly-tipping, and graffiti can have a huge impact on an area’s character, which is why we want Camden to use its powers to impose tougher fines. Several businesses and homes in South End Green and Finchley Road are still covered by pro-Labour vandalism from the 2017 election, which the businesses spent ages trying to remove. It really brings the area down and shows yet again why there needs to be local action.”