A POSTER drawn up by Warrington Wolves ahead of Saturday's Super League showdown against Widnes Vikings has caused a real stink.

The poster, depicting three-eyed fish, smog and chemical waste over the word 'Widnes', is being used by the Wolves to promote the crucial derby clash.

Wolves officials say that the poster is just a bit of fun and should be taken in good spirit.

But Halton Borough Council has attacked the campaign as "tasteless", while the Vikings have called the poster "ill-conceived" after it was put up across Warrington and Widnes.

A Wolves spokesman said that if someone lives in Widnes, they would be expected to have a sense of humour!

He added: "A sense of humour got us through last year when we were struggling. We have already done it this year with Wigan when we put pies on the posters, so we have just decided to have a little bit of fun.

"We guarantee that any fan who turns up with a three-eyed fish, preferably alive, will get free admission to the game."

Sean Mellor, the Wolves' marketing manager who devised the poster, said that it wasn't intended to be offensive.

He added: "I would be mortified if anyone was genuinely upset about this. It is a bit of banter between followers of the two rivals. Both are vying for the top six at the moment, and who knows, they might both get there."

The Vikings, however, have failed to see the funny side, and club spokesman Andrew Kirchin said that the poster was ill-conceived.

And a spokesman for Halton Borough Council said that the poster was over the top and reinforces stereotypes of Widnes - renowned for its chemical industry - adding: "We feel that this poster is tasteless and offensive to the residents of Widnes and the fans of Widnes Vikings.

"Although we are disappointed by the Wolves' marketing tactics, we hope that their team's rugby skills will be a little better at the weekend and we wish them the best of luck for the game - we're sure they will need it."