Police have forced a concerned Kent homeowner to take down a sign he created to warn drivers of a badly-potholed road.

Plumber Ted Relf was ordered to take down his homemade pothole warning sign because the police claimed it was a distraction to drivers.

He thought he was performing a public service but was surprised to receive a knock on the door from a PCSO (police community support officer).

Mr Relf said: "He said it was a distraction so I pointed at the road and said 'What’s that pothole then? That’s a distraction’.

"I can’t believe it’s an offence to have a warning sign for the benefit of motorists and cyclists on my fence. I thought I was being helpful and public spirited.

"In the end we had a compromise, I will take the sign down and if the roads are repaired in the next two weeks it will stay down. If not, it will go back up."

Although Kent Highways Services workers have fixed some of the worst holes in the road, in the village of Shadoxhurst near Ashford, Mr Relf said that Church Lane and other roads were still bad.

Mr Relf also spoke to Ashford Borough Council’s planning department and was told it would cost him £335 to submit an application for retrospective planning permission for the sign. However as the sign is only temporary, he felt paying a large fee was unnecessary.

He said: "It is just a small chipboard sign about 27in by 27in. It went up last year as well and once they fixed the roads it came down.

"It’s obviously rubbed someone up the wrong way. It’s ridiculous really. If there are potholes then people should be made aware."

Police spokesman Jon Green said: "We didn’t force him to take the sign down. He willingly took it down after we spoke to him.

"There was a complaint and it was causing a distraction. Obviously we’ve got to think of the safety of pedestrians and motorists so we’ll be contacting Kent Highway Services to get the potholes sorted out."