WOODEN signs on rural bus routes are to be replaced because they are rotting – just eight years after they were installed.

County Hall bosses have to fork out £15,000 to replace the poles in the Ribble Valley.

At the time, the poles were made of wood to “reflect the rural nature of the routes”.

But now council bosses are set to reverse this policy and go with metal poles.

A report has concluded that the 30 poles are “showing signs of rotting” and need to be taken down for health and safety reasons.

Lancashire County Council said as the poles had only been up for eight years, it would be more cost-effective to replace them with less attractive metal versions which would last for 20 years.

It was also hoped they would be easier to maintain.

Funding for the Rural Bus Challenge project was secured in 1998, and bus stops were revamped in the following years.

As well as the aesthetically-pleasing wooden poles, kerbs were raised to make it easier for disabled people to get on board, and better lighting was installed at bus stops.

Ribble Valley leader Michael Ranson said: “The bus stops in my ward look quite good, but I suppose they have to be practical.”

The cash will come from the county’s capital programme, where £1.75million has been set aside for so-called “quality bus schemes”.