Motorist surprised by number of signs along the Seven Mile Straight.

A motorist has questioned why so many ‘no overtaking’ signs have been put in place on the Seven Mile Straight which he feels is a bit “over the top”.

Nigel Phillips, of Kilmington, was surprised by the sheer number of road signs on the road, which is located between Shute and the A303.

“It just seems very over the top,” he says. “It seems a waste of money when the council says it has got no money, but it can afford to put these signs up.”

Although Mr Phillips admits it is a dangerous road, he questions whether the number of signs, which he says are in close proximity to one another, are necessary.

“You need one sign at the start and one at the end,” he adds. “When driving you can see at least one sign in your mirror and one in front of you. There is not a lot of distance between them.”

Mr Phillips told the Midweek Herald that he has since noticed that some of the signs have been turned around.

A spokesman for Devon County Council said: “The edges of the road are prone to damage and these signs have been installed for safety reasons in order to discourage vehicles from travelling too close to the edges at high speed.

“This stretch of road is also too narrow in many places to permit overtaking manoeuvres to be carried out safely.”

He added: “The minimum number of signs have been used to meet legal requirements but they are a temporary measure until extensive remedial works can be carried out this financial year.”