31 road signs stolen, trashed in RM of Pleasantdale near Melfort

Residents in the RM of Pleasantdale are looking for more than just a sign this week. They’re looking for 31 signs, to be exact.

The RM, located south of Melfort, reports that over thirty road signs have been stolen. The signs, from stop signs to train warnings, were found in a pile in a neighbouring RM.

RCMP Staff Sergeant Ryan Case is the detachment commander for Melfort, and the RM of Pleasantdale falls under his jurisdiction.

Case says, “To us, it kinda seems a little strange that (they) would simply remove these signs and leave them in a pile.”

There have been no reports of any accidents due to the lack of signs, but Case warns of the dangers that can occur when someone steals road signs.

“There’s definitely potential risk to the motorists out there when they’re using the roads, and they’re not quite sure what’s potentially ahead of them without these signs being up.”

The RM of Pleasantdale’s acting administrator Trevor Peterson says stealing signs is “not a joke.”

“As much as we might not be aware of anything that happened this time, there is always the potential that removing these safety signs can result in loss of property, and either serious injury or death.”

It’s estimated that the total cost to replace these signs, some of which are damaged beyond repair, is around five thousand dollars.

The RM of Pleasantdale No. 398, posted to its Facebook page to ask residents to let their family and friends know how dangerous it is to steal road signs.