Caution - Men At Work

A beautiful example of street sign sabotage, snapped early one morning in Abbeyhill, Edinburgh, in March 2006. Look at those bold marker pen strokes. It's a shame about the second 'a' in anal but you can't have everything. Plus it adds a certain sense of urgency to the work, suggesting it was executed in a hurry, under pressure, on the hoof.

It’s a cockle-warming thought that this sign may have been used again and again in roadworks all over the country, and is possibly still in use. It has probably been spotted by hordes of passers-by who will have been left either upset, bewildered or delighted by it. Who knows - at this precise moment, perhaps an old lady is tut-tutting over it somewhere, unaware that she’s merely the latest in a long, long line of the pen-wielder’s victims. Ain’t it marvellous?

Defacing something mobile is like writing your name on a banknote - there's a slight chance you might see it again yourself one day, but you probably won't. At least you know that your handiwork will be seen by other people though, and that's what really counts. Share and share alike - it's a central tenet of graffiti. And there's plenty for everyone. Come on, tuck in.