People in Wigston were left scratching their heads this week after two letters mysteriously disappeared from the town’s Hollywood-style sign, turning “WIGSTON” into the slightly less impressive “WISTN”.
The sign, which was installed last year as part of a £10,500 town centre improvement project, became the centre of attention after Oadby, Wigston and Harborough MP Neil O’Brien shared a photo showing the missing “G” and “O”.
Posting on Facebook, O’Brien wrote: “Oh dear – I thought this was a bad use of taxpayers’ money – but the stupid vandalism makes it even worse.”
Naturally, local residents assumed the letters had been nicked.
One commenter wrote: “And you’re surprised? I didn’t think it would last this long. Come on!”
Another added: “You’d like to think it would be safe to install that in the street but sadly not nowadays.”
While someone else joked: “How on earth will we know where we are now? Bet Hollywood doesn’t have to put up with this!”
But despite fears that the sign had become the latest victim of theft, the reality is a bit different.
According to Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, the letters weren’t stolen at all. Instead, they were reportedly knocked down by vandals, and council staff later removed them.
A spokesperson said: “To clarify, the letters were knocked down by the vandals and we have since removed them ourselves.
“We are currently looking into the costs of getting them re-installed, but we don’t have a figure yet. However, the sign is covered by our insurance and this is the route that we will be going down in the first instance.”
The council also confirmed the sign does not have any specific annual maintenance costs attached to it.
The giant sign has been controversial ever since it was unveiled. When it was installed, some residents questioned the £10,500 price tag, while critics highlighted that the council had also been exploring cost-cutting measures, including plans to remove dozens of public bins across the borough.
Council officials, however, have consistently defended the project. At the time of its unveiling, the authority stressed that the sign was paid for through UK Government funding earmarked specifically for town centre improvements, not from the council’s general budget.
The council’s head of the built environment, Adrian Thorpe, previously said the sign and wider town centre improvements had received “overwhelmingly positive feedback” and helped create “a sense of local pride and identity”.
For now, though, Wigston residents will have to make do with “WISTN” until the missing letters make their comeback.
