Happy #EdBallsDay! Ex-MP gets in on the joke as National Trust defends decision not to hold dedicated celebrations

It's an event which has secured itself a place in social media history.

A simple mistake by an MP, who meant to check what was being said about him online - but instead tweeted his own name.

Ed Balls Day is jokingly celebrated by the Twitter community each year on April 28, ever since his original mishap at 4.20pm on that day in 2011.

It has become something of a tradition, with #EdBallsDay trending for most of the day.

This year, even the National Trust got involved.

Responding to tongue-in-cheek criticism for not advertising the special occasion on its website, the Trust tweeted: "Despite the headlines, we’re in no way downplaying the significance of #EdBallsDay.

"We’re proud of our part in helping families celebrate #EdBallsDay, and run a full programme of activities during this time."

His original message has been retweeted more than 91,000 times, and liked more than 57,000 times.

To mark the sixth anniversary of his blunder, the former Cabinet minister-turned-Strictly Come Dancing star, who lost his seat in the 2015 general election, shared a Boomerang video taken in the very supermarket where he sent the first tweet.

Captioned 'Ed Balls - Six Years On...', the video shows him using what appears to be a BlackBerry phone. He presses a button before turning to the camera, looking appropriately full of comic horror.

His wife and sitting MP Yvette Cooper also got in on the joke.

She shared a photograph of the store with the caption: : "Heading back to where it all began. Asda. Castleford. 28th April. Friday afternoon ..."

Meanwhile, other Twitter users shared their plans, and wishing others a very happy Ed Balls Day.