A BLUNDER has left a new speed limit warning sign obscured by a tree.
The new £13,000 vehicle-activated sign was installed as part of a scheme to warn drivers to keep to the 30mph speed limit in residential Percival Road.
But contractors Balfour Beatty, working for Warwickshire County Council (WCC), erected the sign facing a tree.
A resident contacted Coun Jerry Roodhouse, borough ward councillor for Paddox and county councillor for Eastlands, who then alerted county highway chiefs to the error.
He said: “It beggars belief. What were the contractors thinking?
“Why would you go out there and put a flashing sign in which quite clearly is going to flash into a tree? I can’t believe it.
“If you stand on the pavement, you’ll see yellow arrows on the road and the pavement, and written under the arrow on the pavement is ‘post here’. But they’ve completely missed the mark.”
Coun Roodhouse said the new sign was arranged and designed through the WCC Highways Team alongside other safety measures such as bollards.
“WCC Highways drew up plans which went out to contractors. Balfour Beatty installed them and this is what happened.”
A Balfour Beatty spokesperson said they installed the sign “based on the instructions and information received”.
They said: “All efforts are made to undertake all maintenance services based on the instructions and information received. Where alterations are requested, we work collaboratively with the Council to deliver these in a timely manner.”
But a WCC spokesperson insisted Balfour Beatty was to blame.
They said: “Our contractor was given detailed instructions for installation, and highways teams had marked the exact location on the pavement. These instructions were not followed.
“This was an unfortunate error on the part of our contractor and we are working with them to have this rectified as soon as possible.”
They added Balfour Beatty would move the sign to its correct position on August 28 – and would be picking up the bill.
Residents say speeding has been a long-standing problem in Percival Road, which is often used as a short-cut between Ashlawn Road and Hillmorton Road.
In June last year, a car crashed into a lamppost and a tree – following a similar accident three years previously.
