THE finishing touches have been made to new £76,000 signage at the gateway to Bournemouth - but the debate rages over whether it "promotes a sense of arrival for visitors" or is the council's "biggest two fingers to the people" for years.

Visitors entering the town are now greeted with the message Welcome to Bournemouth on a footbridge spanning the busy A338. And those leaving the resort are wished a Safe Journey as they depart.

The council says it wants the sign to be Bournemouth's "Angel of the North" - a landmark that visitors look for as a sign they are almost at their destination. 

Last week the southbound section of the dual carriageway was shut for three nights with the northbound carriageway reduced to one lane as workmen hoisted the sections into place on the recently refurbished bridge close to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

The new signage, which has been planned for several years, was branded an extravagant ‘flight of fancy’ and waste of money by Bournemouth council’s Labour leader Ben Grower.

Cllr Lawrence Williams, cabinet member for tourism, leisure and culture, said: “First impressions are everything and this is why it’s important to make the gateway into our town as welcoming as possible.

“This type of signage makes a statement about our resort and the community it represents as well as a significant contribution to the way the area is perceived.”

But Labour leader Ben Grower called it a "flight of fancy" and "the biggest two fingers to the taxpayer I have seen in many years".

“It shows a total lack of understanding of the plight of the poor from the Tory cabinet member responsible for this obscene expenditure", he said.

What do you think of the sign? What would you have spent the £76,000 on? Have you seen other types of "Welcome to" signs that you think would have been better? Let us know in the comments!