French mayor asks English pranksters to photograph village sign, not steal it
Midsomer Norton becomes the backdrop for international sign-swap prank
A French village's road sign that vanished six months ago has recently appeared in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, prompting a request from the village's mayor for visitors to simply capture a picture next time.
Pranksters replaced Midsomer Norton's welcoming sign with one from Sallespisse, a small rural village in south west France, known for its tongue-in-cheek name among French speakers.
Monsieur Francis Grinet, the Mayor of Sallespisse, expressed both amusement and concern over the situation.
"While seeing our sign in an English town might seem amusing, it nonetheless constitutes damage to our local council."
"We have to replace them every time, mainly to ensure road safety, and each replacement comes at a cost," Mr Grinet said.
Sallespisse, with a population of 600, is located less than 100 km from both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees, making it a frequent stop for holidaymakers.
Mr Grinet suggested that the sign was likely taken during such a trip by a British tourist.
"I’m glad to know that our English friends were able to learn about our town thanks to this prank. I encourage them to take a picture in front of the sign the next time they drive through our village — but please leave it in place!" Mr Grinet requested.
The sign swap in Somerset did not end with Sallespisse's sign.
Another "Welcome to Midsomer Norton" sign was swapped for a Spanish road sign directing towards Barcelona and Valencia, which was amusingly pointing in the right direction despite being 720 miles away from the actual destinations.
A representative for Spain's Directorate-General for Traffic highlighted the risks involved in such pranks.
"The manipulation or removal of road signage poses an undeniable risk to road safety and constitutes irresponsible behaviour that can have serious consequences," the spokesperson said.
These international antics follow previous local sign swaps, which saw Midsomer Norton's sign swapped with one from Frome, and other exchanges between Camerton and Bradford-upon-Avon.