You wouldn't have thought it would be necessary. In fact, we can't quite believe it either.

But organisers of the plot to bring ‘dinosaurs’ to Chester city centre have been forced to set the record straight following fears that the deadly beasts have been raised from the dead.

Chester-based social enterprise Big Heritage has partnered with Chester Zoo, CH1ChesterBID and the Grosvenor Museum to deliver the free dinosaur-themed trails which offer a taste of what life was like when the fearsome creatures roamed the earth.

Publicity pictures for the trails showed CGI dinosaurs prowling around city landmarks such as the Eastgate Clock and Chester Cathedral.

But this was all too much for some concerned members of the public, who contacted the event organisers via social media to complain.

It meant Big Heritage had to reiterate dinosaurs’ extinct status following fears that they might damage Chester’s cherished architecture, and some comments questioning whether dinosaurs ever existed at all.

Big Heritage – the people behind the recent Chester Plague Doctor marketing campaign – issued the following statement on their Facebook page: “Astounding that we are doing this, but having to put out this message with regards to our Dinosaur trail following a few interesting responses!

“1. We have not actually got real Dinosaurs coming to Chester, so there will be no risk of damage to the historic buildings or image of Chester. The pictures are CGI, not photos.

“2. Addressing a complaint that ‘Dinosaurs should be kept in the Zoo’ - Dinosaurs are actually extinct, they don’t live anywhere, zoo or otherwise. Chester Zoo do wonderful work in conservation, but even they would struggle to get 300m year old fossils to breed.

“3. Addressing a comment from someone who ‘doesn’t believe in Dinosaurs’ - this isn’t Game of Thrones or the Old Testament, it’s based on sound science i.e observable evidence!”

So visitors need not fear for their safety, as the treks will feature fossils, cave finds and replicas – none of which will exhibit any vital signs – and lay down the gauntlet of finding the names of 10 very much extinct dinosaurs hiding in the city for the chance to win an annual family pass to Chester Zoo.

To find the dinosaurs, city centre visitors need to pick up a free trail map from Chester’s Visitor Information Centre, the Grosvenor Museum, at participating retailers or can download one directly by clicking here.