Passers-by were amused during the heavy snow earlier this year to drive past a sign in South Bristol, reading: "Local weather report: Hot and humid. 75 degrees. Picnic in the park Sunday".

A few weeks later, commuters slowed down to read another sign on Wells Road: "Snake charmer wanted. Basket supplied. Send CV".

The ever-changing messages outside Assilah Bistro have attracted a massive following. An internet group has even been set up on social networking site Flickr with pictures and comments on the latest quirky noticeboard messages.

Members of the group compete against each other to be the first to get a photograph of the latest humorous notice on the website.

They have also been trying in vain for months to get a snap of the mysterious message-writer in action.

The woman behind the bizarre messages is the owner of the Moroccan restaurant, Bridget Holden.

The 45-year-old, who runs the family restaurant with her Moroccan chef Jack Karouri, sneaks to the message board in the middle of the night to avoid being photographed in the act.

Other bizarre messages that have been displayed over the past few months include: "Totterdown declares Independence. Border Control Ahead!", "Forcast for tonight: Dark", and currently: "Knowle, Site of Historical Interest", on one side, and: "Totterdown, Site of Scientific Interest" on the other.

Bridget says she started displaying the messages on January 1 to make drivers smile, as many people were being made redundant at the time.

And she has since got into the spirit of the online competition, often waiting until dark, and on occasion 2am, to get her paintbrush out.

She gets all of her message ideas from customers, who then vote on their preferred slogan on a Friday or Saturday night.

Bridget told the Post: "The board used to just display the menu. We came up with the idea at our New Year's Eve party, when quite a lot of people were losing their jobs.

"The favourite message so far was the advert for a snake charmer, when five people actually sent in their CVs.

"We get people stopping outside to have a look at the sign. One message was: 'Why is it called after dark, and not after light?' And people came in to try to answer the question."

Other signs outside Assilah, which is one of the only remaining bring- your-own alcohol restaurants in the city, have included song lyrics, such as: "We're rocking + rocking + rocking + rocking Moroccan All Over the World", "And I Like It, I Like It, La La Like It", and "Always Look On the ------- Side of Life. De Do De Do".