Disappeared road signs have been recycled, Mayo councillor told

VILLAGE and townland signs which disappeared recently in the Castlebar and Westport areas are believed to have been recycled.

The update on their mysterious disappearance was given to Councillor Ger Deere who raised the matter at a meeting of Mayo County Council.

Village names have been replaced with road numbers along the old N5, robbing them of their identity. Councillor Deere asked if whoever took the signs down was going to replace them. He was told the council wasn't responsible.

This was the biggest waste of taxpayers money he had ever come across, he commented, and he didn't want to see it happening again in any area.

Councillor Martin McLaughlin said in Islandeady they had got their wall rebuilt but now all the signs had been removed.

Director of services Tom Gilligan said having raised the matter with colleagues, they were part of the new N5 project and designation of roads and were taken down. They hoped to reuse them but he thought they had probably been recycled. Even if available it probably wouldn't be possible to fix them to any new posts.

If signs are to be erected along the old N5, new ones would have to be sourced.

The problem was that it wasn't communicated with the municipal district offices and now it was too late.

Councillor Deere declared himself 'amazed' at the speed of the recycling.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne wondered who authorised the signs being removed and approved payment for same.