Fake airport sign costing £25,000 has fooled people for 20 years - but had no complaints
The billboard for Llandegley International has been a landmark for the past two decades, and whilst it appears like a typical road sign, it signposts to an airport which only exists in people's imagination
A man in mid Wales who spent £25,000 on a fake airport sign is halting his joke after 20 years.
A billboard for Llandegley International has been a landmark near the Powys village for the past two decades.
It appears like an ordinary road sign, however it signposts to an airport which only exists in people's imagination.
The owner has now decided to take the sign down, after thousands of pounds have been spent installing and maintaining it, BBC News reports.
If you travel eastwards along the A44 between Rhayader and Kington you will spot the sign directing drivers to Terminals 1 and 3 of Llandegley International airport.
However, if you follow that route as instructed, you will actually just find a field on the outskirts of the village of Llandegley, Powys.
The man behind the joke is journalist Nicholas Whitehead.
READ MORE: Furious row over car driving 'too close' to boy, 5, on bike - but some blame dadHe formerly edited the Radnor edition of the Brecon and Radnor Express, and also previously wrote with Monty Python's Terry Jones.
Speaking to BBC News he recalled how it all began with a "wild conversation with friends one evening".
He said: "We thought of renting a sign for something that wasn't really there, possibly a project that didn't exist, and we settled on the airport.
"It started off as a bit of a joke, then we realised it was actually possible. It was made by Wrexham Signs, given the OK, one thing led to another and there it is."
But the joke has been received well by tourists and locals.
He added: "In 20 years, I haven't had a single complaint about Llandegley International."
The billboard itself cost approximately £1,500 per year to maintain, and now, after forking out more than £25,000 Mr Whitehead has decided to call it quits.
He hopes Welsh government heritage body Cadw may be interested in taking it over, saying it has become something like a heritage site.
At the nearby service station in Crossgates - a cafe popular with bikers - locals said they were sad to see the landmark go.
Holly Richards said the sign is a "bit of a running gag" adding that it was a "a wonderful feature".
The airport has also proved popular on social media, with thousands of followers across Facebook and Twitter relishing updates about Llandegley's considerable environmental accolades, and discussing the secret Terminal 2.
Mr Whitehead insisted the airport still exists as a shared experience, and intends to start a campaign for the bizarre institution, with the backing of locals.