Are defaced Sheffield 'Q' road signs part of bizarre Donald Trump conspiracy theory?

Dozens of signs across the city and also throughout the Peak District have been subtly altered with pieces of black gaffer tape over the last few months.

Now it has emerged that the alterations could be linked to a far-right conspiracy theory, detailing a supposed secret plot by an alleged ‘deep state’ against the US president and his supporters.

The QAnon theory began in October 2017 with a web post by someone using the name Q claiming to have access to classified information involving the Trump administration and its opponents in the United States.

Q has falsely accused numerous liberal Hollywood actors, Democratic politicians, and high-ranking officials of engaging in an international child sex trafficking ring, and has claimed that Donald Trump feigned collusion with Russians in order to enlist Robert Mueller to join him in exposing the ring and preventing a coup d'état by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and George Soros.

"Q" is a reference to the top-secret Q clearance and QAnon believers commonly tag their social media posts with the hashtag #WWG1WGA, signifying the motto "where we go one, we go all."

The conspiracy theory, mainly disseminated by supporters of President Trump under the names The Storm and The Great Awakening – has been characterized as "baseless," "unhinged" and "evidence-free" while its proponents have been called "a deranged conspiracy cult" and "some of the Internet's most outré Trump fans".

According to Travis View, who has studied the QAnon phenomenon for The Washington Post, the essence of the conspiracy theory is that there is a worldwide cabal of Satan-worshiping paedophiles who rule the world and control everything including politicians, the media and Hollywood.

President Trump was elected to put a stop to the cabal and "The Storm" is an anticipated event in which thousands of people will be arrested, possibly sent to Guantanamo Bay prison or face military tribunals, and the U.S. military will brutally take over the country.

Q signs are how supporters draw attention to the theory.