Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott has welcomed the decision by the Department for Regional Development to erect road signs at the main border crossings welcoming drivers to Northern Ireland.

Mr Elliott said: "These signs provide a welcome to tourists and indeed all visitors to Northern Ireland and as a Fermanagh & South Tyrone representative I am pleased to say that to date nine have been erected in County Fermanagh with more to go up on the major border crossings in the rest of the Province shortly.

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"The signs are a common sight at land borders throughout the European Union and provide an important function in letting road users know that they are exiting the Republic of Ireland and entering Northern Ireland and in so doing assist road users by putting them on notice of a change in traffic signage, road speed limits and driving regimes.

"Furthermore, the signs erected to date have cost a total of £950 and could hardly be said to have posed an excessive burden to the public purse. Indeed I would say they provide good value for money.

"Unfortunately some people clearly feel the same way as Sinn Fein’s Phil Flanagan regarding these signs and I am aware that some of them have been removed, probably stolen by those who do not want to accept they are living within Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

"I trust that Phil Flanagan and Sinn Fein will condemn the removal and theft of these signs and that the DRD will replace any signs that have been removed."

(CD/GK)