COUNCILLORS have said that road signs welcoming motorists to Wellington need to be cleaned on a regular basis to give visitors a good impression of the town.

Cllr Keith Wheatley, speaking at Wellington Town Council’s economic development committee on February 11, said that the signs were disappointing.

He said he realised the signs were the responsibility of Somerset Council, but queried whether the town council’s open spaces committee could give them a good clean with a pressure washer if they noticed any that needed washing while they were out and about on their rounds.

Although Cllr Wheatley suggested that keeping the signs clean and tidy might not be the most important item on a ‘things to do’ shopping list, he did suggest that it was a positive way of making a good first impression for people entering the town.

Cllr Wheatley said: “Some of the signs are filthy – you cannot read them,”

“They make a subtle difference to how a town looks.

“But at the moment they do not create a very good first impression to visitors.”

Cllr Mark Lithgow said: “The cleanliness of the welcome to Wellington signs is a perennial thing.

“This should be made a work item.”

Committee chairman, Cllr Chris Booth, suggested that they should tell the town council’s open spaces manager Darren Hill to add the cleaning of the signs to his work rota.

Cllr Wheatley said he would speak with Mr Hill about the issue, while other councillors would provide a list to the open spaces team of the road signs that are in need of some much-needed TLC.

The council has over the past year or so taken on a number of services from cash-strapped Somerset Council and it has been complimented by local people on how much nicer the town has been looking.