A LYDNEY business owner fears a bleak month ahead after her roadside signs in and around the town have been allegedly stolen.

Claire Harris has invested £171 in signs over the last month, pointing customers in the direction of her Coffee House at Bathurst Park. However now the signs have been taken down she believes this will make people think she isn't open.

She said: "My regulars know that when I'm about to close for the winter I'll go around the town and take down my signs. Just recently I spent £60 on a roadside sign to go by the fire station on Newerne Street and before I had even paid the bill it was stolen. Signs on lampposts have also been taken down and I'm worried that the next four weeks is going to be make or break for us. I want to keep the café open for the community and don't want to have to lay any staff off.

"We have had a good summer, but we have noticed recently a sharp drop in customer footfall compared to this time last year and I think it is something to do with the signs going.

"I have reported it to the police who are looking into CCTV where one of my signs went missing. I can't afford to invest in buying new ones as I have already spent a lot."

Do you know where Claire's signs have disappeared to? If so, contact the police on 101 quoting incident number 17616 of 16/9/14.