An entrepreneur is set to clean up after launching a business that washes road signs – and his efforts are being supported by celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman, aka ‘Mr Loophole’.
Luke Rayner, from Bournemouth, Dorset, was amazed that filthy road signs were never cleaned, leaving some unreadable.
After setting up ‘Clean Road Signs’ he has been inundated with requests from potential clients.
Luke, who also owns Harvard Window Cleaning based in Sandbanks, Poole, said that while local authorities kept bushes and trees from obscuring signs they rarely cleaned them.
With motorists being potentially able to escape speeding fines and bans due to dirty signs, Luke saw a gap in the market.
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 sign and a clean one is staggering.”
Nick Freeman, aka ‘Mr Loophole’, Britain’s most famous legal figure when it comes to defending motorists in court, 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 CPS.
“If someone says the sign was too dirty to read then it is the prosecution that has to prove otherwise.
“It is common sense to regularly clean signs – after all, councils will cut the foliage down in front of them.
“It is a false economy not to keep signs well maintained because it only takes an accident and there will be a great deal of criticism.
“In my view safety needs to be prioritised. Many councils are now switching street lights off over night in order to save money, and that is likely to increase the number of accidents.”
Mr Freeman runs Freeman & Co and in his book The Art of the Loophole, published by Coronet, he reveals his legal loophole secrets.
Famous people he has successfully defended include Sir Alex Ferguson, Jamie Redknapp, Jeremy Clarkson and Andrew Flintoff.
Ed Baker
