A PROLIFIC online supporter of the campaign to move the Arran Ferry to Troon can this week be confirmed as fake.

Robert Powell has been a keen supporter of ABP, their bid and the Choose Troon campaign whilst at the same time criticising this newspaper, Peel Ports and people who support the ‘Save Our Ferry’ campaign.

Powell claims to be a Chartered Naval Architect but his profile photograph has been obtained from the website of Graham and Woolnough, a Naval Architects based in Liverpool.

We spoke with their director Lee Foster who said that they had never had anyone by the name of Robert Powell working for them and that the photograph on their website had been purchased from Shutterstock, a popular website which features millions of images which companies use for PR purposes.

And the cover photograph for the Facebook page is the very first image that comes up in a google search for ‘marine engineering and naval architecture’.

Powell’s page only came into existence this month and whoever is behind the page seems to be well versed in the arguments for and against Troon.

In a comment to an Ardrossan supporter he said: “With all due respect to Maggie, the primary source of inaccurate and misleading information is from the Ardrossan camp being driven by the A and S Herald.

“So please spare us the drivelling lecture & do as requested and go promote the Ardrossan campaign on the Ardrossan campaign page not the Troon one.”

And despite being called out on the fact that his page appears fake, he denied this by saying: “I don’t know what you are trying to insinuate, there is nothing fake about me nor the post.  All I am doing is stating the facts and if any of the info is incorrect then please challenge that constructively rather than popping up every now and then calling people muppets.”

A spokesperson for Choose Troon said: “We are an open campaign page and anyone is free to comment. We do not look into the personal profiles of those who comment.”