Residents in an inner city suburb are calling on local authorities to tear down a rash of anti-British stickers which have appeared round Alum Rock.

The Saltley Gate Peace Group have written to to West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council protesting against the stickers, which have been put on telephone boxes, street lights, and bus stops.

The posters have already been there for two weeks, according to residents, despite being reported to the authorities.

Adam Yusef, of the Saltley Gate Peace Group, said: "A few appeared overnight two weeks ago, then when whoever did it thought they had got away with it, lots more appeared in the next few days.

"The material itself is radical in nature but anonymous in its origin, with no contact details for any group or organisation. There are more than 100 of them and they are bright yellow, titled 'Muslims rise against British Oppression', and have been displayed on street lights and traffic signs. There are a few on each lamp and they really stand out against the grey of the inner city, and that is deliberate."

He said local people had expressed their disgust at the words.

"I've spoken to local shopkeepers and they have said they don't want them there. But people don't want to remove them themselves, because if it is a radical group they might be a target. People don't like this sort of stuff. They won't allow it in their shops.

"We have requested the council, as it has done in the past, remove the stickers from areas recognised as public property, especially street lamps."

Incendiary propaganda has appeared in public places in the area several times over recent years, signed by radical political and religious groups such as Al-Muhajiroun - also known as Al-Ghurabaa - and Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

That material, from 2003 and 2004, was still visible on some public property, said Mr Yusef.

"It is aimed at stirring the emotions of younger Muslims who have lost faith in education or getting a job," he said. "They see all the stickers and think the group behind them is quite powerful.

"In the past, similar material has caused great distress to local residents, although attempts to use any kind of propaganda, religious or otherwise, to disrupt the harmonious relations between people of various faiths in the inner city have failed," he added.

"But it gives the wrong impression of this part of the city - people coming in think we are all radical Muslims here and it is not the case."

Residents are also taking the matter up with Centro, Network Travel and British Telecom.

"We hope this will be done swiftly to ensure the least disruption to the residents and the wider community," he said. "We have been assured by Waste Management Operations the stickers will be removed 'on an urgent basis'."

A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said: "We are looking into this complaint."