Visitors contribute to a sticky problem at John o’ Groats

The renowned John o’ Groats signpost is under threat – from visitors who have covered it with stickers.

Tourists keen to leave their mark at the “end of the road” have smothered the iconic marker with stickers – and the addition of just a few more could render it illegible.

Now the community council has begged tourists to stop – before they obliterate the famous name completely.

Mark Gibson, secretary of Dunnet and Canisbay Community Council, said: “I think it’s a craze that’s got out of hand – once someone puts one sticker on, everybody seems to think it’s OK.

“John o’ Groats is set in a beautiful landscape and we very much welcome visitors to share it with us.

“Although a small minority of people may wish to leave mementos of their visit on the sign, this leads to the situation we have now where even some of the lettering is being obscured.

“All we ask is that people leave things as they found them, for those who come after them to enjoy.

“The community council was alerted to the condition of the sign and believe that a refurbishment is now due.”

A trip to John o’ Groats in Caithness is on many people’s bucket lists – and no visit is complete without a picture of the sign, which is so popular there’s often a queue.

A spokeswoman for Natural Retreats said: “Our on-site team, based at John o’ Groats, clear the stickers from the signpost each and every winter, once the season starts to quieten down.

“Due to the size of the sign, and the labourintensive nature of the sticker removal, our team need to spend at least a full day working to restore it to its former glory.”