NEW signs intended to boost a busy tourist town’s visitor numbers have received a frosty reception from residents.

The signs have popped up on main roads into Upton-upon- Severn in recent weeks as part of a huge re-branding project for the town.

This has also seen the creation of a new town logo, website and visitor guide, while branded flags and banners will also soon be flying over the streets for the summer tourist season.

However the new signs were given a resounding thumbs down by residents – including former mayor Eric White – who attended a town council meeting to voice their disapproval.

Mr White said the new signs are “bland”, they do not show up and said they paled in comparison to the previous town signs, which were bought using regeneration money awarded after the 2007 summer floods. He asked if the old signs could be returned, to murmurs of “hear hear” from other members of the public in the council chamber.

Another resident, Brian Lawrence, labelled the new signs “a disgrace”.

Several councillors said they were also underwhelmed with the signs – with Coun Pat Martin admitting she “missed them completely” when driving past them. But they argued they should be given time to bed in.

Coun Tim Dance said: “When we saw them on paper they looked good but I have to agree that, in position, they don’t do our town justice.”

And former mayor Andrea Morgan said one of the biggest problems was the deep red signs clash with the brown tourist signs located directly underneath them.

Coun Mike Ostick, the council’s lead representative in the re-branding project, said he is in discussions with Worcestershire Highways to move the brown signs further away – as was planned in the original designs.

He also said he was “disappointed”

that people had waited until the signs were put up to criticise them. “We had the ideas displayed at two council meetings, two Upton Town Partnership meetings and even ran a pop-up shop in the High Street for a week,” he said. “During that time we only received one negative comment.”

The new signs were gifted to the town by county council contractor Ringway, to thank residents for their patience during a recent town centre revamp.

Councillors voted to re-visit the situation in September, with mayor Peter Webb assuring residents that the old signs were safely in storage should they be needed.