By DAILY MAIL REPORTER It's not so much a road sign as a sign of the times. But drivers passing this baffling message yesterday must have wondered if they should have gone to Specsavers. A road sign in Polish on the A4 in Slough, Berks, warning drivers to lock their cars. The portable sign was placed in the middle of the A4 dual carriageway early last week by Slough Borough Council in Berkshire. When the council’s workmen left it, it issued a general warning to all motorists: ‘Secure your vehicle.’ By yesterday, the bright orange letters had been changed to read ‘Zabezpiecz swoj samochod’ – Polish for ‘Protect your car’. The town has been overwhelmed by Polish immigrants since their country joined the European Union in 2004, with an estimated 10,000 putting severe pressure on Slough’s health, housing, education and welfare services. Local councillor Satpal Parmar said: ‘I’m astonished. There is a big Polish community here but they all speak or are learning English, so changing a sign like this is insulting to them. ‘It’s also not necessary because so many have lost their jobs in the credit crunch and are returning to Poland. Every day I see people climbing on to buses heading for Poland. ‘It’s not fair on Slough’s many other communities. If we translate signs into Polish, other groups will want them translated into their languages.’ Two years ago, the Highways Agency sparked a row by putting up road signs in Polish for the benefit of long-distance drivers in Cheshire. The signs also included distances in kilometres rather than miles. Slough Borough Council was not available for comment last night.Slough? The signs are it's Warsaw
Last updated at 11:07 PM on 07th February 2009
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Posts
