PEOPLE in Worcester are calling for council chiefs to "auction off" any unwanted street signs - with some even insisting they'd make good Christmas presents.

Two weeks ago your Worcester News revealed how the city council is launching a £40,000 project to restore and repair neglected street name plates in an 18-month makeover.

Since then calls have flooded in from readers nominating streets, and now some of you want to go further.

Some householders say if theirs is deemed in need of replacement they'd want it as a keepsake - with others calling for them to be sold.

Council chiefs, who are preparing for the first serious investment in street name plates for a generation, have reiterated that they have no intention of taking down any of the city's original cast iron name plates.

It comes as the calls continue to come in, with more than 50 streets now being named by residents as in need of repair work.

Resident Kelvin Green, of St John's, said: "It's just an idea but some of these old signs could be auctioned off.

"I am sure there are people who would love to own a street sign and the money from it could go to local projects like St Paul's, for example, so people who don't have somewhere to live could benefit.

"I spent 25 years as a professional fundraiser before I retired in July and I think it's a good idea."

Fellow city householder Martin White, 61, of Leabank Drive, Ombersley, said: "My sign is terrible and needs replacing but we'd like to keep it.

"It would actually make a nice Christmas present, I'd ask the council if we could get a better sign but I'm more than happy to take the current one off their hands."

Another resident, of Danes Green, Claines, contacted us to say their sign "really needs replacing" but was among several other householders wanting to keep it.

"We've even taped wire around it to stop it falling off, so it certainly needs replacing - but we'd very much like to own it," he said.

Bosses at the council say they are looking forward to the makeover starting and insist only ones completely falling apart will go - which tend to be the newer ones.

Councillor Andy Roberts, the council's cabinet member for cleaner and greener, said: "I had one chap in Malthouse Place say 'if you take mine down I'd pay 'X' amount to take it off you', but we have absolutely no intention of removing the original cast iron ones, they're a feature of the city.

"If it's the older ones, we'll do whatever we can to maintain them."