Dangerous Signs For Window Cleaner

Entrepreneur Luke Rayner teams up with lawyer ‘Mr Loophole’ for road sign washing business.

Entrepreneur teams up with lawyer ‘Mr Loophole’ for road sign washing business: Luke Rayner, from Bournemouth, who has set up Clean Road Signs, said he was amazed that many signs go uncleaned, leaving some unreadable. He has enlisted the support of celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman, who says unreadable signs can lead to speeding tickets being quashed.

Mr Rayner, who also owns Harvard Window Cleaning, based in Sandbanks, said that while councils tended to keep signs free of bushes and trees, they rarely cleaned them. He said: “It struck me that no one was cleaning these signs and yet it is important that they are easily readable. “It is in the interests of local authorities and the police to keep them clean – and that is why I launched Clean Road Signs.

“We have already had lots of interest and I am in advanced stages of negotiation with one council. “We want to work across the country. “The difference between a dirty and a clean sign is staggering.”

Nick Freeman (pictured) runs Freeman & Co and is Britain’s most famous legal figure for defending motorists in court, having successfully defended Sir Alex Ferguson, Jamie Redknapp, Jeremy Clarkson and Andrew Flintoff. He said: “An obscured road sign can be a great defence when charged with speeding. “Motorists should be aware when a road has a 30mph limit because it will have street lights. “But with higher speeds the signs are the only way a motorist knows what the limit is.

“Signs must be unobscured and maintained in good order. “If one is filthy and can’t be read there isn’t a clear indication as required by law. Potentially it is a serious problem for the Crown Prosecution Service. “If someone says the sign was too dirty to read then it is the prosecution that has to prove otherwise.” He added: “In my view safety needs to be prioritised. “Many councils are now switching street lights off overnight in order to save money, and that is likely to increase the number of accidents.”