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Britain's most over-signed place: The tiny village of 3,000 with 900 road signs

The tiny community of Feock in Cornwall has a claim for Britain's most over-signed place - but is set to have 170 of the 'completely pointless' signs taken down.

Cluttered: A small selection of the 864 road signs in Feock (SWNS)

A small village blighted by nearly 900 road signs as won the first major battle in the war against cluttered highways - after a council agreed to remove more than 150.

The tiny community of Feock in Cornwall has a claim for Britain's most over-signed place, thanks to its population of just 3,000.

The current total of 864 road signs on lanes and pathways in the village means there is almost one sign for every three residents.

Feock in one of the prettiest corners of the country - boasting stunning waterways, quaint country lanes and picture-postcard views.

But its residents say their rural idyll has also become a forest of ugly, bewildering posts and boards that spoil the scenery and baffle drivers.

They launched a campaign and planners have now agreed to tear down more than 170 unnecessary signs.

Signs for the chop include dozens of duplicate 'Give Way' and 'Road Narrows' notices and a further 111 direction sign posts.

The decision is a triumph for the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) which says more than two thirds of roadside signs in rural areas are 'completely pointless'.

Alan Truan, clerk of Feock Parish Council, said: 'We have been very keen to address the effect unnecessary signage has on the rural nature and beauty of parts of the area.'

Feock lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, giving it the same status and protection as a National Park.

The road sign cull will cost taxpayers £5,000 but potentially save more in reduced maintenance costs.

Senior transport campaigner Ralph Smyth now wants more councils to take action to tidy up the countryside.

Mr Smyth said: 'CPRE has been campaigning to cut countryside clutter since 1996 so we are delighted that this example of parish council-led action could be copied.

'While some may say that cuts to council budgets mean removing signs shouldn't be a priority, once you include the savings on maintenance and lighting, it can actually be cost-effective in the longer term.

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'By reducing distractions for drivers and making rural areas more attractive, there are many other benefits for communities too'.

Jeremy Edwards of Cornwall Council said the work to 'de-clutter' Feock was part of a trial project to gauge the typical number of unnecessary road signs in a rural village.


He said: 'Striking a balance between essential signage and unnecessary clutter has always provided a dilemma for engineers responsible for highway safety.

'Feock Parish Council has been very keen over recent years to address the issue in the area and has been key to the project's success.

'Once we had catalogued all the signs in the Feock area, staff from the council's transportation service liased with the parish council to determine which signs were needed and those that could be taken down'.

The Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, said last year that legislation was in hand to give local authorities the power to banish road-side clutter.

He said: 'Too many country roads carry a reminder of how insensitive planners can be to aesthetics.

'Ugly and unnecessary signs clutter up the network. New signs seem to sprout like weeds, without any apparent consideration of what's already there.

'Often what we're left with is not just a blot on the landscape - it's confusing and potentially dangerous too'.