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Repainting redundant road markings 'waste of cash'

Carmelo GarciaLocal Democracy reporter
Sandra Kolasinski A stretch of road that has recently been patched. The word "Keep" has been written on the patch in yellow lettering. Sandra Kolasinski
The Coln House School closed years ago and is being converted to housing

The partial repainting of "keep clear" road markings outside a now-closed Cotswold school has sparked concerns that public money is being wasted.

Sandra Kolasinski said she was amused last week to discover just the word "keep" had been painted in bright yellow after repairs to the road outside the former Coln House School in Horcott Road.

Kolasinski said while it made her laugh, the work was a waste of taxpayers money and the road markings now appear for "no apparent reason".

Councillor Mark Harris, from Gloucestershire County Council, said the utility company that carried out the work has now returned to black out the markings.

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"The old Coln House School in Horcott Road, Fairford, has been closed for ages and is in the process of being converted into new housing," she said.

"Even though the rest of the markings can no longer be seen and it is no longer a school site, there is now the word 'keep' written on the road for no apparent reason.

"Are the people who mark the roads not allowed to question why they are doing some?

"What a waste of money!"

Sandra Kolasinski A stretch of road that has recently been patched. The word "keep" has been written on the patch yellow lettering. On the other side of the road, the words "keep clear" can be seen in faded lettering. Sandra Kolasinski
The word "keep" was repainted after recent road works

Stephen Andrews, a former Cotswold district councillor for the area, said it made no sense to repaint the signs on the road but the utility firm may have had to do it due to a technicality.

"The problem may well lie with the traffic regulation order, (which) ensured the school's presence was known, and has not been cancelled after its closure years ago," he said.

Harris, cabinet member for highways at the council, said the work was undertaken by a utilities company that had reinstated the road markings present after completing a project on the road.

"We work closely with all utility companies to ensure they reinstate the highways surface to its original condition following any works.

"In this instance, the 'School Keep Clear' markings had been allowed to fade as they are now longer relevant. We have spoken with the utility company, and they have returned to the site to black out the markings," he added.

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