London 2012 Olympics mascotte considered offensive by Downing Street

(c) Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

Wenlock and Mandeville, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic mascots, have created quite a stir at their unveiling today.

Officially, journalists and baffled participants were told that they were aimed at kids, hence the metallic finish, single large eye made out of a camera lens, London taxi light on their heads and the Olympic rings represented as friendship bracelets on their wrists.

But Nr 10 has been making disgruntled noises as the duo was considered to be a direct attack against the Cameron-Clegg alliance, the blue of the Tories and the amber of the Liberals being difficult to ignore on the two characters. Unofficial sources close to the new Prime Minister and Deputy PM told BJ reporters that Downing Street had desperately tried to cancel the launch of the two mascots , to be replaced by a single personification of the Big Ben but with a communication antenna on top to show how the UK would reach out to the world on 2012.

It is now feared that Cameron and Clegg will be re-dubbed Wenlock and Mandeville, not to speak of the possible voodoo rituals the poor dolls could be subjected to by disgruntled Labour politicians.