Jim, rather than "enough evidence to sink a ship", you say yourself that you haven't seen one for 7 years and you appear to have been used to going in the kinds of places that would have had them up.

Also, again, I raise the issue as to how bar staff would know that all these people were Travellers if they just turned-up to a pub. If all the pubs in and around Manchester refused to serve people with Irish accents, names etc., then half the pubs would be closed through lack of custom: you're undoubtedly aware of how many people have some kind of Irish heritage up here.

Again, I'm not disputing that these signs don't exist or have never existed, just the definition of 'common'. You having not seen one at all for 7 years and me not seeing one at all (or, for that matter, Keith who lives in the other end of the country) might suggest that 'common' might have been the wrong word or at least should have been qualified with 'some areas' or something.

I'd like to think that the reason why we're not seeing them is because they're being reported as quick as they're going-up.