An Andover resident has expressed frustration over a long saga involving a mistake-ridden sign at a recently refurbished playpark.

The sign, installed in November 2023 as part of a £110,000 plus upgrade of Anton Lakes playpark, reportedly cost £562.50, but it contained several glaring errors, according to Mr Cartwright.

These included misspelling ‘Kingfisher’ as two words, grammatical errors, and referencing a non-existent breeding pair of Great Crested Grebes.

“[On the sign] They ask the children to look for the breeding pair of Great Crested Grebes. We have not had a breeding pair on the lake this century,” Mr Cartwright said.

He promptly notified the council after spotting the errors.

Andover Advertiser: The sign with glaring errors installed at Anton Lakes playpark

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While the sign was removed for correction, its return took a staggering four months despite repeated enquiries.

Upon its return in April, Mr Cartwright was astonished to find the exact same sign with all the original errors back in its place.

“If a new sign was repainted from new data, I could perhaps understand this length of time,” he said.

“However, the replaced sign is identical to the original sign with errors. Call me a cynic if you like but I believe somebody is trying to make a fool of another body.”

Mr Cartwright said he was told by a council officer that it was an oversight by the contractor.

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He was informed the contractor would be asked to remove and rewrite the sign again.

The council might also ask the contractor to remove the sign completely and reimburse the council, according to Mr Cartwright, as it was only a minor item in what was a large refurbishment.

A council officer has asked to meet Mr Cartwright to discuss the matter. He said he would be suggesting a new sign to replace the current one.

A Test Valley Borough Council spokesperson said: “We have spoken to our contractors about the issues with the sign and as it is their mistake they - rather than local taxpayers - will be covering the cost of updating and replacing it. We have also arranged to speak to the resident, who raised it, next week.”