However, Mr Casaer added that the road signs that have been “decorated” by the artist must be restored to their original state.

As we reported on Friday, a road sign artist is secretly at work in and around the East Flemish city of Aalst. At a number of locations the figure of a man has been painted onto the road signs.

The first examples of the artist’s work surfaced when a photograph was posted on a Facebook page about speed traps in the Aalst area.

Last Friday, Mr Casaer said that the road signs would be returned to their original state. He added that this would have to be done as lawyers could say that the signs didn’t conform to the Highway Code if their client had been caught committing traffic offence.