It’s all coming loose…

Words fail us…and they have definitely failed whoever is responsible for the latest howler greeting drivers as they idle at traffic lights all over Merseyside.

“Loose your licence, loose your job!” scream the warnings from 50ft high billboards dotted across Liverpool and beyond.

A definite no-no in spelling terms (or should that be noo-noo?), may a shower of penalty points cascade on the heads of those speed camera-loving chaps at Merseyside Road Safety Camera Partnership who are responsible for the bungle in this new advertising campaign.

The body was launched in April 2005, with the aim of reducing deaths and serious injuries on the county’s roads by reducing the level and severity of speeding and red light running (which translates as installing and managing lots and lots of speed cameras and standing surprise police with big radar guns at the end of flyovers). It is made up of the five Merseyside local authorities, plus HM Courts Service, Highways Agency and Merseyside Police and claws back revenue from all those £60 fines for “operating costs”.

We therefore wonder how many individuals cast their eyes over this worthy but costly mission statement as it made its way from the drawing board of the “creative” who came up with it to the Tithebarn Street desks of the public servants who saw it fit to print. Or perhaps they were too busy marvelling at the bloke in the ad’s resemblance to loveable EastEnder Frank Butcher.

We tried to find out which ad agency was responsible, and whether they’ve cashed the cheque yet, but it was difficult as the publicly-funded Partnership does not appear to have a directory enquiries listing, nor a contact number on its website which is unfortunately called, er, No Excuses.

“Slower is better” concludes the anti-speeding message on the poster.

Perhaps they would all do well to remember that.

PS: It doesn’t stop there. If you can spot another mistake on this lovely design then tell us what it is by emailing us here and we will pick up the £30 tab of the most recent parking ticket of one lucky winner.