A mystery which has puzzled Cheshire motorists for years has now been solved.

Anyone travelling along the M6 will have noticed graffiti saying 'Vote Pies', located on a bridge near to junction 18, by Holmes Chapel.

There is also a similar slogan on the M57, in Liverpool, saying 'The Pies The Pies' while the word 'Pies' was also inscribed on the Mersey tunnel ventilation shaft at Birkenhead. In 2001, Network Rail removed some 'Pies' graffiti from a bridge over the M58, near Aintree.

But now the mystery of The Pies has been solved. And, believe it or not, the graffiti is not intended to make you hungry.

It was actually intended as a bit of an advertisement for a Liverpool band called The Pies, almost 30 years ago.

The story goes that the original graffiti was painted on the M57 bridge after the band 'became stuck' on the bridge and 'didn't know what else to do'.

This was all revealed by band member Ash Martin in a BBC interview this week.

The original Pies split around 1993 after an ill-fated US tour. Their songs include Earthquake Zone (live at Walton Prison,) C**p Pies and What Pies?

They might not have been the most successful band. But their legacy lives on on the M57, the M6 and beyond...

Giant graffiti spelling the word pies on the Mersey tunnel ventilation shaft at Birkenhead
Giant graffiti spelling the word pies on the Mersey tunnel ventilation shaft at Birkenhead