A Republican candidate has angered a seaside town in England after using its image to warn voters what could happen if they vote Democrat at the upcoming midterm elections.

Key points: The image of Jaywick Sands was accompanied by the warning: "Only you can stop this from becoming a reality"

The image of Jaywick Sands was accompanied by the warning: "Only you can stop this from becoming a reality" A councillor for the village says the photo is outdated and it's now a "community on the up"

A councillor for the village says the photo is outdated and it's now a "community on the up" Republican candidate invited to visit village instead of engaging in "negative campaigning"

The image showed a strip of rundown houses along a dirt road in Jaywick Sands, a village in Essex on the country's south-east coast, with the warning:

"Only you can stop this from becoming a reality … we can't go back to foreclosures, unemployment, and economic recession."

The campaign page for Nick Stella, a doctor running to represent the 11th district of Illinois, shared the image on Facebook on Friday.

It warned that a vote for his opponent, Bill Foster, was a vote against President Donald Trump keeping America "on track and thriving".

Seaside town 'a community on the up'

Paul Honeywood, the councillor for Jaywick Sands, said residents would be outraged at having their hometown "smeared in this way".

He said Jaywick Sands was a "community on the up" and the photo used in the campaign image was from years ago.

For reference, the local council shared these two photos on Twitter to show how the town looks now:

This is the same area of Jaywick Sands that appeared in Nick Stella's campaign image. ( Twitter: Tendring Council )

Councillor Honeywood says there are positive plans for the village. ( Twitter: Tendring Council )

"Essex County Council completed a two-year 6.5-million-pound programme to improve the roads and drainage in Jaywick Sands in 2017," Councillor Honeywood said.

"Since the old image used in this campaign poster was taken, support from Government, Essex County Council and other bodies has helped to build upon work we as a council were already doing to improve the quality of life for residents."

He invited Dr Stella to visit Jaywick Sands "to learn about how we really get things done, rather than engaging in this sort of negative campaigning".