Ed Sheeran puts up 'drive safe' signs after 'driving at 90' controversy By Richard Haugh

BBC News Published duration 2 March 2017

image copyright Atlantic Records / Greg Williams image caption Ed Sheeran releases his third album on Friday

Ed Sheeran is putting up signs asking motorists to drive safely, after one of his lyrics prompted a safety warning from police.

The singer, who lives near Framlingham in Suffolk, was pulled up by a roads sergeant on Twitter after singing about "driving at 90" in Castle on the Hill.

Sheeran said the blue signs, saying "drive safe", would be placed around parts of his home county.

He said: "I'm not encouraging speeding at all, I'm just singing it in a song."

Castle on the Hill, described as a "love song for Suffolk", was released in January and has remained towards the top of the chart since - being kept off the top spot by his other release, Shape of You.

image copyright Suffolk Roadsafe image caption The signs are in response to criticism of Sheeran's song lyrics

Sgt Chris Harris, from Norfolk and Suffolk Roads Policing, posted a plea on Twitter for people to "slow down on Suffolk roads" in response to the line "driving at 90 down those country lanes".

"I don't think it specifically says miles per hour," Sheeran told the BBC. "It could be kilometres per hour."

image copyright Twitter image caption Police asked drivers to slow down on Suffolk's roads

image copyright Getty Images image caption The star released two singles simultaneously to announce his comeback in January

The singer's decision to erect the signs coincides with the release of his third album, ÷.

"We have a marketing spend for this album and I wanted to do some sort of billboards in Suffolk," Sheeran said. "We thought it would be quite funny instead of having billboards saying the album is out, just having a blue sign that says 'drive safe'."

The singer also said he was not too disappointed that Castle on the Hill failed to swap places with Shape of You in the chart, as he hoped it eventually would.

"For me it's all about the live show, having songs that react well, and having a song that's been in the top five for eight weeks will definitely go down well at a live show," he said.