THE arrival of a large signpost “better suited to the A1” has dismayed businesspeople in Barnard Castle.
An antiques trader on The Bank said people in the town should have been consulted before the new sign was put along Bridgegate.
He added that the sign was akin to those on major highways and should not have been put up in a conservation area.
However, Durham County Council says the sign is in line with what is required on an A road. Bridgegate forms part of the A67.
Anti-speeding activist Alan Royds, of Startforth Park, said: “It is so out of character. There is a listed building behind that.
“I know what it is – it's to hide the castle walls falling down.”
He further noted that the weight restriction on the bridge had been omitted from the sign, but this was of no consequence because the sign would be obscured by trees in the summer.
Barnard Castle Town Council confirmed they were not consulted about the sign either.
Dave Wafer, Durham County Council’s strategic traffic manager, said: “This sign has been put up to replace two which were in existence across the road, which were obscured by trees on private land and in one case did not accurately show the carriageway layout.
“The new sign must be as big as it is to incorporate all the information that was on those removed, in the size of lettering which is required along A roads by national regulations.”
