A Police and Crime Commissioner candidate was duped into posing outside a FAKE police station mocked up for a television show.
In an attempt to showcase her credentials for the £85,000-a-year job, Georgina Hill stood outside "Alnwick Police's" outpost in Bailiffgate, Northumberland .
The controversial independent candidate took to Facebook to bemoan the fact the station was "unmanned", the Mirror reports .
But Miss Hill was left red-faced after users were quick to point out it was a fictional police station - mocked up for Sky One drama The Heist.
The building is in fact a former school that was retrofitted, with the real police station about a mile away.
Susan Dungworth, Labour's leader on Northumberland County Council , said: “It’s a bit worrying that Georgina isn't able to tell the difference between fiction and reality.
"You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to know this is a film set.
"Let’s hope she hasn’t based the rest of her research for the election on TV dramas."
The mocked-up set used the name " Alnwick Police" instead of Northumbria Police , while the crest and emblem were invented for the show.
Ms Hill defended her decision to stand in front of a fake police station when contacted by the Mirror.
She said: "I thought that it looked a bit different to most police stations but then again it is difficult to know what an open, fully-functioning police station looks like these days.
"Most of our rural police stations make Camberwick Green look like the Headquarters of New York Police.
"The serious point, amongst rushed election photo shoots, and something I have pledged to address is the issue of police stations being open 9am - 5pm - criminals don’t just operate 9am - 5pm."
A by-election for Northumbria PCC will be held on July 18 after Labour's Dame Vera Baird was promoted to Victims Commissioner.
Miss Hill is vying with Labour’s Kim McGuinness, Lib Dem Jonathan Wallace, and Conservative Robbie Moore for the top job.
The barrister - who quit the Conservative Party to become an independent in 2016 - was accused of "blatant homophobia" last month after a 2012 tweet came to light.
The next full election is due in less than a year's time, in May 2020.
