A village sign which blew down during 75mph winds may cost “thousands” to replace.
It was first put up along the A2 London Road in Newington more than 15 years ago, but it’s now fallen victim to strong winds.
The sign in Newington fell down during high winds on New Year’s Eve
On New Year’s Eve, the Met Office issued a yellow warning for wind for the county, which affected rail and bus services due to debris falling into roads and strong waves reported in coastal areas.
The sign is thought to have come down overnight between then and the morning of New Year’s Day.
It was first erected on June 20, 2009, and was designed by Gwendoline Ardley.
At the time, Sylvia Huxtable donated a third of the money towards the project in honour of her late husband, Paul.
He was a member of the parish council for 10 years and chairman for two.
It now has a large crack running along the main part of the design
Since then, it has been used for a number of ceremonies and events, including Remembrance Day services held in the village.
Cllr Richard Palmer (Swale Ind), who represents the ward of Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch, said: “It’s just one of those things, it’s unfortunate but luckily no one was hurt.
“It’s solid so it probably acts like a sail and is obviously taking a lot of pressure.”
The sign appears to have a large crack running through the centre of the main design.
On January 1, a team from LH Garden Services cleared the site and the sign was transported to Cllr Palmer’s back garden.
Cllr Richard Palmer (Swale Ind) represents Hartlip, Newington and UpchurchThe sign was first installed on June 20, 2009 in honour of Paul Huxtable. Picture: Graham Dudley
“I’m not an expert but I don’t think it’s repairable,” he added. “I reckon it could be anything between £4,000 to £7,000.
“If it can be repaired it might be a bit cheaper but I’ve got a suspicion it won’t be.
“I hope the same design is kept, however, in some respects, it would be easier to have a sign where the wind can pass through at times.”
It is not yet known how long it will take for the sign to be fixed or replaced.