A 'BONFIRE' of road signs could be on the way to Worcestershire - with council chiefs urged to scrap the clutter.

The Government has pledged to "restore common sense" to roads by taking down what ministers call "useless" signs distracting drivers.

A taskforce, working under the guise of the Department for Transport, has announced a new review working with councils to see if as many signs as possible can be removed.

It follows decades of growing numbers of them around the country, meaning their numbers have doubled in 20 years.

Worcestershire County Council has reacted enthusiastically to the taskforce, saying it intends to take it seriously.

The taskforce will be led by senior Tory MP Sir Alan Duncan and aims to report to the Government with firm recommendations by December.

Councillor John Smith, the county council's cabinet member for highways, said: "We often talk about this at County Hall and I know people say 'what can you do about it', you've only got to look at some of the posts in Worcester.

"We'd welcome a consultation to get rid of some of the clutter, it's certainly something we'd be interested in."

The council has to either approve or reject requests for road signs, but has to follow guidelines laid down by central Government.

Since the turn of the century the likes of private housing developers, tourism facility owners and bosses of other landmarks have become increasingly aware of the power of effectively free advertising to take advantage of it.

One policy the review is expected to consider is expiry dates for signs on roadwork projects, to prevent them from staying in place long after a scheme has wrapped up.

Signs showing road routes could also be simplified, with an end put to posts displaying two or three on top of each other.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "Useless traffic signs blight our landscape, waste taxpayers' cash and can be a dangerous distraction to drivers.

"We are restoring common sense to Britain's roads while ensuring drivers have the information they need to get about safely."

Sir Alan said: "The UK has erected thousands of road signs which are completely unnecessary, such as traffic light warning signs when you can see the lights themselves.

"We are going to look at how we might get rid of whole categories of unnecessary signs and improve the look of our roads and streets."