NEW technology will guide visitors to Colchester’s art gallery even if street signs are not adequate, it has been claimed.

Questions were raised over why there was no highways signs to take visitors to Firstsite after TV personality Janet Street-Porter criticised the council for a lack of signs to the art gallery.

The outspoken journalist and presenter said: “Shame no signs from High Street or station. Maybe the council thinks art lovers are psychic?”

Another tweet read: “Drove to see Firstsite gallery. Priory Street inaccessible. Walked from behind Fenwick. Not a single sign to an important gallery.”

Councillor Darius Laws (Con) raised the issue again at a meeting of Colchester Council.

Tim Young (Lab), councillor responsible for business and culture, said it was a long ongoing saga which was not easy to fix.

He added multiple authorities, including Highways England and Essex County Council, were also involved and had been approached numerous times.

He added: “Individual attractions have to apply for funding for signage themselves.

“There is pedestrian signage to Firstsite and there is planning permission for a banner in Queen Street, which should help.

“There is no money to expand or replace the scheme but it could be part of a future town centre improvement project.”

He said with technology developing, fewer people are relying on street signs.

He added: “I think before we embark on a large programme of signage we have got to consider how people navigate as we now have GPS in cars and apps on our phones.

“Going forward people rely less on physical signage, but we do need some.

"I know Firstsite also has its own plans to make themselves more visible and we will support them in that.”

Colchester resident Simon Crow also noticed the arrow directing people to the town’s Visitor Information Centre was pointing to its old home, and not Hollytrees Museum.

The Conservative campaigner said: “I saw a couple of tweets from Janet Street-Porter complaining that on her recent visit to Colchester to visit the Grayson Perry exhibition at Firstsite she found the signage around the town to be far from helpful.

“I checked again and found the correction to the Visitor Information Centre sign has still not been done.

“An entire summer of tourists has passed with this misinformation, and I believe in light of Janet Street-Porter’s comments it is important this is corrected as soon as possible.

"It is not acceptable the signage to out Visitor Information Centre sends people in the wrong direction or is not there at all.”

Mr Young said it would be something the council will look into now it has been made aware.