A PARISH council has defended the installation of “hostile” signage at a beauty spot near Andover, which has made the area look like “some East German park”, in the words of one resident.

Chilbolton Cow Common has seen more than a dozen signs put up in recent weeks, warning visitors not to enter or park in certain areas, to observe social distancing, to treat the area with respect and not to “urinate or defecate on our common”.

The village’s parish council, which installed the signs, says the temporary signage is necessary due to “anti-social and inappropriate behaviours on the Common” which have seen police visit the site on “numerous occasions” in recent months.

But the measures have drawn criticism from some visitors.

One resident said the scene was “one of the most shocking things” he had ever seen, and reminiscent of an “East German park”. Another described the new signs as “hostile” and “a visual eye-sore” in a letter to the Advertiser and hit out at the parish council for installing them in the first place.

The council, however, says that action was necessary amid record numbers of visitors to the site.

A statement from Chilbolton parish council read: “Under normal circumstances I would agree that signage on the Common should be kept to a minimum.

“However, like many other beauty spots up and down the country, we have been trying to manage the Common in quite exceptional circumstances with record high numbers of people visiting the site. This has prompted a number of concerns being raised by local residents.”

Those concerns include parking issues, said to be a “hot topic” for a number of years, plus an “increase in complaints about anti-social and inappropriate behaviours on the Common such as the use of BBQs, using parts of the Common as a ‘open-air toilet’ and dis-regarding social distancing measures.”

The authority also says the temporary signage has, so far, been working.

Its statement continued: “The permanent signage that we have has proven to be nowhere near sufficient to manage the large numbers visiting the site and as a temporary measure we agreed to put high profile visible notices to ensure that people visiting the site know what behaviours are expected of them. Since erecting the signage and making changes to the area where cars park we have seen significant improvements. By and large the vast majority of visitors have understood the need for the signage and behaved responsibly.

“As a Parish Council we would like to hold a Public Meeting (when it is safe to do so) to discuss all of these issues and get the broader views of our local residents. We do not propose to do this until the Autumn at the earliest which will give us chance to reflect on all of the options and implications.”