Shooting of road signs on the increase in the countryside

Shotgun pellet marks on a road sign.

By Barnaby Dracup

Thursday, 25 February 2010

The RAC has received numerous reports of shooting incidents and say it is a relatively “widespread phenomenon”.

Shooting of road signs on the increase.
Recently, a number of road signs in West Oxfordshire appear to have been shot at with a gun.

At least six separate signs have been vandalised in Burford, Shilton, Carterton and Brize Norton.

Leicestershire County Council has also said it was aware of incidents in the Fenny Drayton area but it currently has no plans to replace the damaged road signs.

A website which compiles information of the road sign shootings, Gunfire Graffiti, has photographic evidence from 27 counties across the UK.

Thames Valley Police said it had not heard of such incidents before, but urged people with information to contact the force.

Speaking to the BBC, Bill Harriman, director of firearms for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, condemned the actions: "I can't believe that anybody who has an ounce of responsibility in them would use signs for a piece of target practice.”

The RAC Foundation said it had received reports of similar incidents in several counties and that it was a relatively "widespread phenomenon".

Spokesman, Philip Gomm, said: "We are concerned that anybody is using a firearm on roads, legally or illegally, putting motorists' lives at risk and the lives of the general public."

Oxfordshire County Council said it was aware of the signs being damaged and had contacted police.

Talk to other readers about the shooting of road signs in the countryside.

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Comments

John Furlong

Wed, 3rd Mar 2010 17:49:29

Just returned from NZ and thought they had started a new sport of hunt the roadsign,75% of all signage on both Islands had at least 1 bullet hole ,and most had more ,

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