Harbury village signs 'defaced on Brexit night' Published duration 4 February Related Topics Brexit

image copyright Harbury News image caption White paint covered the name of Samois-sur-Seine and the French Tricolour flag

The name of a French town on two village road signs was daubed with white paint in a "Brexit-related" act of vandalism.

The name of Samois-sur-Seine was painted over on Friday on the signs in Harbury, the Warwickshire village with which it is twinned.

The parish council's chairman said residents were angered and disappointed by the vandalism.

Twinning association members later removed the paint, he added.

The vandalism was found on two signs on Hillside and Bush Heath Road on Saturday morning.

image copyright Google image caption The sign on Bush Heath Road in Harbury before it was defaced

A post about the vandalism on the Harbury News Facebook page received hundreds of comments, with many saying they were "very disappointed".

Parish Council chairman, Tim Lockley, said: "There was anger because it makes Harbury look like a village where these kind of views are popular or common, which is not true at all.

"I can't see any other conclusion other than it was Brexit-related, otherwise the word Harbury would have been damaged as well, but it was only the bit related to the twinning.

"It is disappointing because I don't think it reflects the attitudes of people here, regardless of what they think of Brexit."

He said twinning association members had been out on Saturday to clean the signs and had managed to remove the majority of the paint.

Richard Marshall-Hardy, also from the group, added: "It is appalling.

"Notwithstanding which way I voted in the referendum, this kind of behaviour continues to be divisive, it upsets people and it is unnecessary."