Couple wage war on Britain’s filthy road signs - and now they want to clean the whole country
Paul and Ruth Richmond-Watson started scrubbing filthy street signs as a hobby - but their daily clean-ups have become a mission to smarten up Britain.
A couple have taken on one of Britain’s grimiest problems by spending their spare time scrubbing filthy road signs.
Paul and Ruth Richmond-Watson started cleaning signs around Brighton, East Sussex, after noticing many had become so covered in dirt they were difficult to read at night.
Now the pair are tackling at least one sign every day, filming the transformations for social media and dreaming of taking their unusual cleaning mission across the UK.
Paul, 47, said: “Britain is quite unique in having filthy road signs. It is a bit of a state really and we are just trying to smarten it up.”
The couple began in September after searching for a hobby they could enjoy together while doing something useful for their community.
They were inspired after seeing window cleaners use freshly scrubbed street signs to advertise their businesses.
Their first attempt was not entirely smooth, with Ruth, 25, getting soap in her eye, but the pair quickly became hooked.
Paul said: “The first one that we did was a bit of a learning curve, but it was so satisfying and fun.
“It is quite a bonding experience for us. We don’t really know what we are doing but we are giving it a good go.”
Their kit includes a backpack water pump, hose, snow foam gun, environmentally friendly cleaning foam and a brush.
Each sign typically takes around 20 to 25 minutes to clean, including setting everything up.
The pair have even sold some possessions to help fund their new obsession and have received support from cleaning supply companies.
Paul, a former window cleaner originally from New Zealand, said dirty signs had become something the couple constantly spotted while driving.
“You see a lot of dirty signs just driving about and a lot of them are hard to read, especially at night,” he said.
The couple, who met on the street two years ago and married last year, now share their work through their Instagram account, Filthy Signs.
Their videos have attracted supportive comments, while people have started recognising them around Brighton.
And they have bigger ambitions.
Paul said they would love to take a road trip around Britain cleaning signs along the way and hope others will join in.
“Driving past it a few weeks later and seeing it still sparkle is amazing,” he said. “You feel quite proud of yourself.”
Ruth, who is originally from Mauritius, added: “We 100 per cent didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as we do.
“There is still community out there.”