Donegal County Council says there has been a noted increase in the wanton vandalism of signage in the county in recent times.
It’s warned that repairing and maintaining damaged signs is costly.
Councillor Ciaran Brogan has queried what steps are being taken by the Council to remove and prevent the sabotaging and damaging of road signs in Donegal.
Signs right across the county have been defaced with red paint and Councillor Brogan says this is causing huge reputational damage to the tourism sector and the brand of Donegal.
In response, the local authority acknowledged that there has been an increase in such vandalism.
As well as being illegal to deface signage, the it says it is unsightly and confusing to road users not familiar with Donegal.
A Council spokesperson says the defacing of signs is counter-productive and creates a bad impression of the tourism sector, an important economic sector they say, which employs upwards of 20,000 people in Donegal.
They have appealed for the vandalism to stop and for anyone who knows the identity of those responsible to contact Gardai.
The Council has warned that the cost of repairing and maintaining damaged signage will reduce available budgets for more productive tasks.