Cleaners sprucing up dirty road signs around county

News imageLinden Cleaning Services Jonny Linden has a cap on in the sunshine and is cleaning a mossy road sign with a brush. The sign reads 'Dragonville & Renny's Lane Ind Estates and Gilesgate. Beneath is a brown sign reading 'Bannatyne Hotel & Health Club".Linden Cleaning Services
Jonny Linden said he could not believe the response to his sign scrubbing

A team of cleaners say they are "doing their bit" for their community by washing dirty road signs in between jobs.

Jonny Linden, 39, has been running a cleaning service in Durham for 16 years and first started scrubbing road signs in 2024.

Buoyed by the response to a video they posted showing a "before and after" of a village sign, his team decided to start a shortlist of grubby spots to wash around County Durham.

Linden said he "couldn't believe" the response they had from the public, with people approaching the team and thanking them. Durham County Council, which is responsible for maintaining road signs, has been approached for comment.

"On our first post we got about 600 reactions and so many comments thanking us," Linden said.

"A lot of people look at these signs and get frustrated because they take pride in their area."

News imageLinden Cleaning Services Jonny is stood in front of a brown sign for Hallgarth Manor. He is cleaning it with a red brush on a long pole. His Linden Cleaning Services van is parked to the right on grass.Linden Cleaning Services
Jonny Linden in action cleaning a sign for Hallgarth Manor

Since 2024, the team from Linden Cleaning Services said they had cleaned more than 30 dirty and mossy road signs.

"When we are going to jobs we look out for particularly bad signs and if we get time park up and give them a clean," Linden said.

"We are just happy to do our bit for the area and we are trying to step it up this year."

The 39-year-old said the team would keep on cleaning signs because they "enjoy giving something back to the communities" they work in.

News imageLinden Cleaning Services A side-by-side before and after comparison of a roundabout sign. The before picture is hard to read as moss has grown all over the sign. The after picture shows the roundabout sign freshly cleaned.Linden Cleaning Services
The team said they wanted to "give something back" to their community

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