By Tim Binnall
In something of a sequel to a clever prank wherein a joker swapped the 'welcome' signs of multiple British communities last year, an industrious individual recently pulled off a similar feat with international markers. According to a local media report, early last week, a sign welcoming travelers to the town of Midsomer Norton was mysteriously replaced with a Spanish marker directing motorists to the cities of Barcelona and Spain. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the community, a sign from the French village of Sallespisse had also appeared overnight.
The situation was immediately likened to a headline-making case of sign-swapping that unfolded in Britain last spring. In that instance, officials in several towns and villages in the southwest part of the country expressed dismay at having fallen victim to the prankster's shenanigans in March and then again in May. Though attributed to the phantom sign swapper, the mischief in Midsomer Norton may be more of an homage, as, in this instance, the town remains in possession of its markers.
To that end, Monsieur Francis Grinet, mayor of Sallespisse, reportedly echoed the British officials impacted by the prankster last year, lamenting that "while seeing our sign in an English town might seem amusing, it nonetheless constitutes damage to our local council," noting that the marker was replaced when it vanished around six months ago. "I'm glad to know that our English friends were able to learn about our town thanks to this prank," Grinet ultimately mused, "I encourage them to take a picture in front of the sign the next time they drive through our village, but please leave it in place!”