THE new signs on the Prince of Wales Bridge - formerly the Second Severn Crossing - cost the princely sum of £216,513.39, it has been revealed.
The Second Severn Crossing was renamed in honour of the heir to the throne’s 70th birthday last year, with the new signs recently erected by Highways England, which has confirmed the cost.
(A sign on Prince of Wales bridge. Picture: Michaela Hamblin)
The 23-year-old bridge links England and Wales, extending the M4 across the Severn estuary.
The change of name - described last year by Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns as a ‘fitting tribute’ - also celebrated 60 years since Prince Charles was first given the title the Prince of Wales in 1958.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of his 1969 investiture.
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Not everyone was keen on the idea though - more than 25,000 people signed a petition calling to stop the renaming, but it still went ahead.
(Prince of Wales Bridge. Picture: Fatma Richards)
Following news of the costs of the new signs, former Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood, said: “To spend almost a quarter of a million pounds on signage after a bridge renaming that nobody asked for or was told about beforehand is absurd, wasteful and ill-judged; especially when we are losing so much because of austerity cuts.”
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