Alistair Angus, of Thurston Butchers, in School Road, disappointed after jovial sign vandalised

A village butcher has been left disappointed after a jovial sign directing customers to his business was vandalised.

Alistair Angus, of Thurston Butchers, in School Road, found his sign dismantled early on Tuesday morning.

It made light of the many roadworks and ensuing diversions the village has experienced in recent weeks and months for housing projects, and was an attempt to make the most of the passing trade.

Alistair said his business had a road closed near it for four weeks and the drop in footfall was noticeable, but the latest closure actually forces traffic closer to the butchers.

“We are not alone in having to deal with road closures and their effects,” he said. “People getting in and out of the village has become a problem and it’s a shame our effort to put a positive spin on it has been dealt this blow.

“I’m a bit disappointed. We were trying to bring some positivity in with the queueing traffic down that road – I thought it would be perfect for people crawling along.”

Alistair said, as there were no tyre marks on the verge where the sign was – and as it was set back from the road – he was fairly certain it was not damaged by a car.

One of his colleagues saw the sign intact at about 8pm on Monday, meaning it was vandalised at some point between then and Tuesday morning.

It had been well received by villagers and customers alike, who often came into the shop and spoke to Alistair about how they enjoyed it and its light-hearted take on the situation.

The sign was purchased with two others, which all in Alistair spent around £300 on. He will be buying another sign to replace it.

“The diversion is due to be in place until the end of July. Anything we can do to make the most of the passing trade is a positive for us,” Alistair said.