Wiltshire's painted roundabouts a month on
It's been one month since the first St Georges crosses appeared on roundabouts in Chippenham.
The number of road markings repainted by Wiltshire Council – and the financial cost incurred by council tax payers – has been confirmed a month after the first St George crosses appeared on roundabouts in Chippenham.
Saturday, September 20 marks a one-month since the first St George crosses appearing on roundabouts in Chippenham.
The trend soon spread with crosses appearing on roundabouts in Devizes.
At around the same time, people started attaching flags – St George crosses and Union flags – to lampposts and other street furniture, as part of the social media-fuelled campaign called Operation Raise the Colours.
And before the month was out, some of the county’s famous white horses had been emblazoned with red crosses.
Alton Barnes white horse near Devizes was daubed with paint which washed off several hours later in heavy rain, while Westbury white horse was given a fabric makeover that caused ‘minor damage’ to the monument.
At the time, Wiltshire Council branded the defacing on roundabouts as ‘vandalism’ and said it would remove flags in line with the existing highways policy that saw bunting removed from lampposts ahead of the Box Revels in early summer.
This week, Wiltshire Council confirmed that it had not repainted any roundabouts or road markings, suggesting that painted crosses were being eroded by a combination of rain and traffic movement.
However, the council said it is “currently compiling” a list of locations before deciding on the best course of action to take.
“We do not have a full picture of what the cost will be for this, and priority is given to locations where there is a safety implication,” said the council in a statement.
Meanwhile, the council confirmed it had removed some flags where they had been considered to “present a danger”.
Cllr Martin Smith, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for highways and street scene, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We are aware that flags have recently been placed on some of our lampposts and painted on roundabouts without prior permission.
“Items such as banners, bunting, and flags that are installed on or near the highway can pose safety risks to road users.
“As a council, we have a duty to ensure that public roads remain safe and unobstructed. They may also detract from the overall tidiness of the area.
“It is our duty to ensure that public roads remain safe and accessible, and we will take action to remove any unauthorised obstructions or encroachments.
“We welcome efforts to celebrate local events, and we encourage community groups, as well as town and parish councils, to work with us when planning displays.
“However, it’s essential that any promotional materials placed on council land receive approval from the relevant Wiltshire Council highways team beforehand.”