‘Welcome to Frome’ sign moved to a different town 10 miles away

Previous pranks have seen a welcome sign for Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire relocated more than 60 miles away

The road sign welcoming people to the Somerset town of Frome appeared on the B3355 going to Midsomer Norton on Friday (Frome Town Council)

A welcome sign left drivers confused when it was moved to a different town entirely.

The road sign welcoming people to the Somerset town of Frome appeared on the B3355 going to Midsomer Norton on Friday, which is 10 miles (16km) away.

The mix-up comes after several sign-swapping incidents across the West Country in March.

One “prank” saw a welcome sign for Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire relocated more than 60 miles (97km) away to Portland in Dorset.

Four signs were also moved from Camerton, near Bath in Somerset, and the Jurassic Coast in Dorset to Bradford-on-Avon, the BBC reported.

The road sign welcoming people to the Somerset town of Frome appeared on the B3355 going to Midsomer Norton on Friday (The Independent)

Following the latest sign swap, Somerset Council said it is “an act of criminal damage”, adding it “will need to be repaired at public expense”.

In a statement, a council spokesperson said: “If residents see something like this happening, they should contact the police.”

Peter, an amused pensioner from Frome who spotted the sign swap and photographed it in Midsomer Norton over the bank holiday weekend, described the prank as a “professional job”.

He told the BBC: “It seems like an April Fools’ Day prank, but obviously we’re not in April.”

He explained that although he has seen signs covered in graffiti, he has never seen a town sign swapped.

“I knew that it was wrong. Obviously, I should be coming to Midsomer Norton so part of me thought it was some kind of Dad's Army tribute where they changed the signs around to confuse invading armies,” he said.

But this is not the first time pranksters have left drivers scratching their heads. In September 2023, road signs in Caithness, Scotland, were removed and replaced.

The Telegraph also reported in February that someone in Glasgow dressed up as a race marshal sent 30 trail race runners on a 1.5-mile detour by hiding park signs.