A DECISION by Cheshire West and Chester Council to refuse retrospective consent for a direction sign at a rural road junction has led to an appeal.

The application was made by Mr R Blackham at the junction of Tattenhall Road and Newton Lane in Newton by Tattenhall.

The sign is fixed to a fence next to the junction, according to a report.

No objections were raised by parish councillors providing Mr Blackham had the landowner's permission, but highway officers object and said they were concerned about the location of the sign and the size and style of the lettering as it would act as an additional distraction to drivers.

Planners accepted the sign had been designed to be similar to an adjacent road sign nearby.

But they pointed out the sign, which had been put in place by Mr Blackham to prevent lorries delivering to his reclamation yard going the wrong way, was at a junction where visibility in all directions was restricted.

The council said there is a record of personal injury accidents at the junction and an added distraction would be only likely to worsen the situation.

It is asking for the appeal to be dismissed.