SIGNS in a town's flower beds have had to be removed because they do not match up with Cornwall County Council's rules. The beds planted in Callington by the town council are paid for by local businesses, who get a small sign marking their donation in return. However, town councillors have been told to remove the signs as they were against Cornwall County Highways' regulations. Councillors were told that, instead of the small colourful signs advertising the sponsor, a black and white sign could be installed – but only by Cormac. 'We've had a strict set of guidelines sent to us from the county council regarding what we can and cannot place in the beds,' said Callington town clerk Linda Small. 'We cannot use our own signs, only the ones the council has said we can use. However, if the beds are on a trunk road, we'd have a different set of rules again as these are controlled by the Highways Agency. 'To get round the problem, the council has started using local landowners who have kindly allowed the signs in their hedges and on their property, but the trouble has meant future support from companies may be under threat. We've already had one business say they're not going to help out next year. We're just trying to make our town more attractive,' said Linda. Councillor Jeremy Gist, chairman of the finance and general purposes committee which is dealing with the problem, said: 'We've had a serious road traffic problem with both a "no right turns" sign, as well as wanting a pavement for a stretch of road. We've been asking for these for more than a year – yet this minor issue seems more important.'
