AN investigation has been launched into whether a ‘Welcome to Lancashire’ sign is standing in the wrong place.

The large sign is situated on the junction of Bolton Road North and Bury Road, Edenfield, but Rossendale councillor Darryl Smith the actual border with Greater Manchester is further down the road.

He said the correct boundary was already marked with a “Welcome to Rossendale” sign and hit out at Lancashire County Council for wasting cash.

Coun Smith said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the sign, it is bizarre to place a ‘Welcome to Lancashire’ sign there as you have to travel to the next village of Stubbins and beyond before you cross the boundary in that direction.

“Not only is this sign in completely the wrong position it is yet another example of how wasteful the county council seem to be with council tax payers money.”

Coun Smith said that he was unhappy with the state of road signs across Rossendale.

He added: “At a time when most people are worried about the economic situation, Lancashire County Council can fritter money away on nonsense signs like this.

“To add insult to injury there are many road signs in Edenfield that are in dire need of replacement or cleaning, the money could have been spent on that or put towards improving the road surfaces which are in a shocking condition.”

A spokesperson for the county council said: “We cannot say whether or not the sign’s location is precise until we carry out an investigation.

“We believe the sign will have been in place for around five years and its location has not caused any concerns up until now.

“The county council has carried out maintenance on a number of signs around Rossendale and is soon to carry out an exercise to ensure that signs in the borough are up to standard.”