The mayor of Sallespisse, a small French village, has issued a polite appeal after one of the village’s road signs was found 540 miles away in Somerset, England. For months, the village’s sign had mysteriously vanished, only to be spotted last week replacing a “Welcome to Midsomer Norton” sign in the English town.
This is not the first time pranks have shaken local road signage. Last year, a sign swap saw Midsomer Norton’s sign replaced with one from Frome, and nearby towns experienced similar mix-ups. However, this latest international twist has added a humorous yet costly dimension.
Monsieur Francis Grinet, Mayor of Sallespisse, spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about the incident. “While it might be funny to see our village sign in England, it causes real damage to our council. We must replace missing signs to maintain road safety, and there’s a financial burden with every replacement,” he explained.
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Sallespisse, with a population of just 600, is a quaint rural village near the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees. Mr. Grinet suspects that a tourist may have taken the sign during a visit but regrets that no British village sign was left in exchange. “I’m glad our English friends learned about Sallespisse through this prank. Next time they visit, I encourage them to take a photo but please leave the sign where it belongs,” he added.
Interestingly, this isn’t the only foreign sign spotted in Midsomer Norton. Nearby, another “Welcome to Midsomer Norton” sign was swapped for one pointing to Barcelona and Valencia. Although the direction is correct, Barcelona lies nearly 720 miles away.
The consequences of stealing or tampering with road signs can be serious. In Spain, for example, offenders face fines up to €20,000. A spokesperson for Spain’s Directorate-General for Traffic emphasized, “Manipulating or removing road signage endangers safety and is irresponsible behaviour that can have serious consequences.”
Previously, the Somerset-based sign-swapping prankster’s antics were confined to local towns, swapping signs among Midsomer Norton, Frome, Bradford-upon-Avon, and Portland. But now, their mischievous reach has crossed borders — much to the bemusement of village officials and residents alike.