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Bilingual boundary signs have been vandalised across one of Northern Ireland’s new super-councils - leaving ratepayers facing a large bill.

The signs, in English and Irish, have been erected by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to indicate new boundaries drawn up when the Review of Public Administration reduced the region’s councils from 26 to 11.

Patrick Clarke, an independent councillor in the Slieve Croob area, said the incidents will “only damage efforts to promote tourism in the area” and potentially cost ratepayers thousands of pounds.

Cllr Clarke posted an image on social media over the weekend of one of the signs where the Irish painted over. The sign sits on the Ballyward Road that lies between Castlewellan and Moneyslane in Co Down .

A number of similar images appeared on social media showing Council signs with the Irish painted over, one posted by Councillor Patrick Brown at Ballygowan Road outside Saintfield and another by Ballynahinch Sinn Fein showing a sign damaged in the same way at Magheraknock Road outside the town.

Cllr Clarke said the bilingual policy was decided by the full council so is Council policy, meaning signs that cannot be repaired will have to be replaced at a cost of around £1,000 each. He added that the Council is planning to roll out towns and village place name signs to compliment the boundary signs in the coming months and they will also be bilingual.

He added: “I am deeply concerned that the new bilingual signs not only erected along the Ballyward Road, but also in other areas across the new Council district region are being deliberately defaced as some form of protest.

“It serves absolutely no purpose to destroy these new bilingual Council signs and it will just end up costing the ratepayer.

“I would urge all politicians to show political leadership particularly at this time of year by the use of their language in condemning the damage and vandalism to the newly erected Newry, Mourne and Down District Council bilingual signs which are being deliberately targeted because they are bilingual.

“The new bilingual Council signage is designed to represent both the diversity and cultural richness of both traditions and also to promote Newry Mourne and Down as a tourism attraction destination.”

Alliance Councillor Patrick Brown branded the incidents “an act of sectarian vandalism”.

Referring to the Ballygowan road sign, he said it is the fourth to be damaged across the District in the last two weeks.

He added: “It’s an absolute disgrace that this Council property has been maliciously damaged in what I can only describe as an act of sectarian vandalism. The Council made a democratic decision to provide bilingual signage and like it or not this sort of behavior, which only damages the ratepayer’s pocket in terms of replacement costs, is not going to change that.

“It also does not help that during the district wide roll out of these signs, unionist representatives from both the TUV and DUP have consistently acted with an irresponsible intransigence around this issue, saying things like ‘if bilingual signs go up in unionist areas, they won’t last 24 hours’. I hope that if this sectarian vandalism continues across the District, these same reps will join with me in condemning the damage, and urge others to do the same.”

Asked about the comments by Cllr Brown, a DUP Spokesman said: “Newry Mourne and Down Council imposed a highly divisive ‘Irish first’ policy which was unanimously opposed by all unionists within the Council. It is very unfortunate that the new Council appears to have continued the attitudes of the old Newry and Mourne Council in its attitude towards the minority unionist community within the area.

“None of this however can excuse criminal damage to property which must be condemned and anyone with information should pass it on to the police.”