A garden centre owner has chalked up an internet storm with his political blackboard.

Matt Woodruff, the owner of Woodruffs Yard in Lewes, proposed a “Tory tax” of 10% on any customer who had voted Conservative as one of the “tough” decisions he needed to make to “balance the books”.

Mr Woodruff said he had to air his views on his shop’s blackboard after the Conservative election win that saw local Lib Dem MP Norman Baker lose his seat while most of Sussex also turned blue.

He added: “The sign also states that Ukip voters should ‘shop elsewhere’.”

Pictures of the sign have been retweeted hundreds of times and appeared on Facebook.

Mr Woodruff said he had only had a couple of bad reactions and does not really care about the repercussions.

“Sometimes you have to just stand up and say what you believe in,” he said.

He added people in the town were “shell-shocked” by the election result, claiming the Conservative vote came from the surrounding countryside.

The Argus: The sign at Woodruffs YardThe sign at Woodruffs Yard