Street signs have been going missing across the Eastern Bay, particularly in rural areas. In some locations, signposts have been cut through to make it easier to remove the sign, while in other cases the sign has been taken and the pole left behind.

The thefts are costing Whakatāne District Council thousands of dollars in replacement and repairs.

Comments on Facebook suggest the problem has been ongoing for some time.

Some residents say their street sign has been missing for a year or more with no action taken, while others report seeing a new sign installed one week, only for it to disappear again the following week.

Missing street signs can have serious consequences, said Melville Road resident Natasja Boon.

She said one of the biggest concerns raised was the impact on emergency services, with people reporting ambulances being unable to find the correct address.

Commenters on Facebook said that GPS systems and Google Maps failed, leaving them to stand where the street sign should have been to direct emergency services to their home.

St John now pinpoints a caller’s location using data collected during the phone call, allowing ambulances to travel directly to the location without relying on street signs, a spokesperson said.

However, St John still recommended that street signs and mailboxes were clearly marked to help emergency vehicles reach properties as quickly as possible, they said.

Some commenters on Facebook said they believed the stolen street signs were being sold to scrap metal dealers.

Scrap metal dealers will buy aluminium signs but are required to collect seller information if they believe the material may be stolen. This information is then passed on to the police.

Colin Magee, who made the original post, told the Beacon that he believed some signs were possibly being taken as trophies to be displayed in man caves and garages.

Roads frequently affected by sign theft include Hogg Road, Moody Road, Melville Road, Station Road, Butler Road, Mottrams Road, Hydro Road, Stevens Road, Murupara Road, and Sutherland Road.

Ann-Elise Reynolds, manager of Transportation at Whakatāne District Council, said this behaviour was “similar to issues such as graffiti and illegal dumping”.

“While the council responds where it can, it creates unnecessary work and cost for the wider community,” Ms Reynolds said.

She said the council tried to respond and replace missing signs as quickly as possible but acknowledged that this could take time, particularly when signs were repeatedly stolen soon after replacement.

The cost of replacing stolen signs over the past two years has totalled $25,000.

Funding for replacement signs is shared between the Whakatāne District Council and the National Land Transport Fund. Last year alone, 60 signs were replaced.

The signs are manufactured by Street signs & Traffic Control Equipment Ltd and installed by local contractors working for the council.

Residents can report missing street signs to the council using the Fix It form on the council’s website at whakatane.govt.nz/fixit, or by calling the council’s customer service line on 07 306 0500.