Road signs are a bridge too far

A "ridiculous" numbers of signs have been put up on two country lanes in Shropshire cluttering the picturesque area, it was claimed today.

The signs - 23 on two short stretches of road near Ellesmere - warn of the narrow roads, a weight restriction on a hump-back bridge where the lanes converge and the risk of grounding if lorries try to drive across the bridge.

People living in the Lower Frankton area between Oswestry and Ellesmere say there are far too many signs on the short stretches of road.

They say the picturesque lanes have been spoilt by sign after sign warning of a weak bridge ahead and the risk of grounding by large vehicles.

And they have claimed that fears that "sat navs" may lead lorries drivers down the road have led to the new signs.

Resident, Carole Main has counted 13 signs on the one- and-a-half mile lane that links the A495 with Tetchill, and 20 on the longer two-mile route.

Both lanes converge on a bridge over the canal.

She said: "Drivers need to be warned about the bridge but that many is just ridiculous. And surely no heavy goods vehicle driver would attempt to take a lorry down the lanes.

"The signs just clutter up a really picturesque area and at night when the car lights shine on them they light up like Blackpool illuminations."

Shropshire County Council said it could not comment on the sat nav suggestion and said the lanes had historically been used by lorry drivers.

John Williams, bridges engineer at the county council, said: "New weight restriction signs have been installed on the approaches to Lock Gate Canal Bridge by our contractors, Enterprise, to draw attention to the fact that the bridge is weak and subject to a 10 tonne weight restriction.

"Unfortunately, this bridge, which has a very steep hump-back and is a listed building, has a past record of large vehicles grounding upon it and causing severe damage. The new signs are an attempt to prevent this happening again.''

By Sue Austin