One Direction plaque moved after fan damage

One Direction fans have defaced the site of a plaque marking their visit to a historic pier so badly that the sign has had to be moved.
The lads filmed the video for their song You And I at Clevedon Pier in Somerset last year, and since then it has become a site of pilgrimage for fans of the boy band – but according to the Daily Mirror, it has led to damage to the country’s only intact Grade I listed pier.
A brass plaque that stated: “One Direction filmed here for their video and new release You And I 23rd March 2014,” had been attached to a bench, but fans had begun writing their own messages next to it and some had even asked to add a plaque themselves.
Piermistress Linda Strong said: “Coming to the pier and seeing the plaque has become something of a pilgrimage for fans.
“We have encountered problems with fans trying to graffiti and leave their own messages to the band since the plaque was installed. In one incident two girls wrote their names and the wording ‘we love One Direction’ on the wood next to the plaque. Fortunately this was spotted by a passer-by and the girls made to scrub it off.”
She added: “Other people have asked to buy a plaque to put next to the One Direction one. By moving the plaque nearer to the entrance to the pier, it means we can keep a better eye on it.”
Linda reckoned the pier being used as the video’s setting had brought in more visitors and that there had even been filming requests from as far afield as Japan and America.
She said: “One of our most frequently asked questions is about 1D’s visit. The video has raised our profile nationally and globally and our visitor numbers have risen by around 10 per cent over the last year.
“As well as One Direction filming here, the good weather and the development of the new visitor centre has also helped with the rise in visitors.”