West Country towns ‘baffled’ by welcome sign swaps

A number of “welcome” road signs have been swapped or replaced with ones belonging to other towns and villages across the West Country.

Four signs are confirmed to have reappeared in different areas, with those from Camerton, near Bath, Somerset, and the Jurassic Coast, in Dorset, appearing in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, in the past week.

Meanwhile, the sign for Bradford-on-Avon has been found on Portland, Dorset, more than 60 miles (97km) away, and a sign belonging to Waterlip, Somerset, has popped up in nearby Midsomer Norton.

Bradford-on-Avon Town Council said it was believed to be “a prank”. Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) contacted police and said it was “baffled” by the swaps.

It asked anyone who had spotted incorrect signs in the area to report them.

The BBC has contacted Wiltshire Police and Dorset Council for comment.

Rather than placing the stolen signs in front of the existing ones, it appears thieves have been removing and then swapping them with different locations.

In a statement, Bradford-on-Avon Town Council said it believed its sign had been swapped with Camerton’s on Thursday.

It added: “The Jurassic Coast sign was exchanged for ours over the weekend, though we’re not sure exactly when.

“We believe this is a prank, but we’re aware that BANES has contacted the police, as similar incidents have been reported across Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset.”

Wiltshire Council and Somerset Council confirmed they were aware of the thefts and were working to bring their signs back, or to organise replacements.

Wiltshire Council’s corporate director, Parvis Khansari, said the matter “was an unnecessary use of both time and money that could be better spent on providing a service to the public”.

He added the council had reported “all instances of this sign swapping to the police”.

Somerset Council referred to the acts as “criminal damage” and also urged residents to report anything suspicious to police.