UNNECESSARY roadside signs have come down in a Surrey Hills village in what is hoped is the start of a roll-out scheme across all the county’s villages.

Corroded metal highway signs in Albury, one of the county’s most picturesque villages, were removed as part of a new ‘De-cluttering’ scheme, launched by the Surrey Hills Board in a bid to maintain the rural character of small communities.

Liz Cutter, vice-chairman of the Surrey Association of Local Councils and chairman of the Surrey Hills ‘quiet lanes working group,’ said: “De-cluttering is the process of removing unnecessary roadside and village signage clutter to help reinforce the area’s rural character.

“Research shows reducing unnecessary signing actually benefits road users who find it hard to distinguish those signs which provide crucial information from those which do not.

“Less signs actually help to discourage through traffic and HGV movements from our country lanes. Many road signs are not mandatory,” Liz said.

“They are put in place by the local highway authority and can be removed at its discretion.

“We want to encourage people through their parish council to assess their road signs and recommend any individual signs should be removed or relocated.

“It is only by working together that we can make a difference.”

Surrey County Council is backing the scheme to de-clutter villages of unnecessary signage in Surrey Hills’ Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Its deputy director for environment and infrastructure, Jason Russell, said: “As the county highway authority, we are particularly focussed on keeping the highway network safe and serviceable, especially at a time when our budgets are becoming ever more constrained.

“This means we are not always able to provide improvements that for us are non-essential, but are important locally.

“The de-cluttering scheme is an excellent example of how parish councils can make a real improvement to the appearance of their area. I am very impressed with what has been achieved, and delighted to support it.”

• For more information on the scheme call 01372 220653 or go to: www.surreyhills.org/board/decluttering