DIRTY and damaged road name signs have proved an unconventional inspiration for community action in the Tupsley ward of Hereford.

Residents are picking up the slack left by council funding cuts and renovating the signs themselves in a show of civic pride.

Senior citizens from The Rose Garden independent living village are cleaning and repairing the plates in their workshop while members of the Central Tupsley Community Group are painting them.

The project aims to improve the area’s image and appearance, and is the brainchild of Councillor Jim Kenyon.

He said: “This is one simple way we can help ourselves and improve the place we live in.

“These are the sort of jobs that would have been done years ago but these days there simply isn’t the money available.

“We are filling the gap and this work shows the spirit of the community.”

Red-tape has been bypassed after Balfour Beatty, the firm responsible for road sign maintenance, gave permission for the repairs and donated paint, brushes and materials.

The residents are currently renovating their first four signs which they hope to complete shortly.

Councillor Kenyon hoped other areas would see what the project was achieving and follow its lead.

The Hereford Times recently reported a similar example of residents taking on responsibility for public works in the face of local authority budget cuts.

In Abbey Dore, a family has been digging roadside ditches and cleaning blocked drains to help prevent potholes appearing on roads near their home.