Signs of madness

A North Yorkshire village has set a new record for highway clutter, a top motoring organisation has said.

Residents in South Milford, near Selby, say there are 45 road signs in the space of about half a mile (0.8km).

RAC bosses said they were "astonished" at the number of signs in the village, saying it was the worst case they had ever come across.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is responsible for the road, has said the signs are there for safety reasons.

Villagers are calling for a clear out of the signs, which include warnings about roundabouts, pedestrians and other hazards, through the centre of South Millford.

Resident Edward French, who is leading the campaign, said: "You can only concentrate on a certain number of things, and you're just faced with all this proliferation of signs. If you had to look at everything, you would not be concentrating on the road itself."

Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, said the village's stretch of road was at least twice as bad as the previous record-holder - a rural road in Hampshire.

He said: "It is really quite astonishing that so many signs can be found over one half-mile stretch of road."

Highways bosses at the council have promised to meet with local residents to discuss the matter further.