Coronavirus: Signs tell shoppers 'stay seven Chihuahuas apart' - BBC News
Graphic designer Keith Williams came up with alternative messages to keep shoppers socially distant.
Katrina Collins wanted to lighten the mood and create a talking point in Montgomery

Stern signs instructing people to queue two metres apart have become part of life since lockdown.

But graphic designer Keith Williams and friend Katrina Collins wanted to lighten the mood and create a talking point.

So they settled on making messages that describe two metres in quirky ways, such as "7 Chihuahuas" and "50 chips".

Mr Williams wanted something a little out of the ordinary, rather than "awful plastic signs".

"I thought we could do something different," he said.

"So every two metres there are random phrases."

These include "14.3 pairs of scissors"; "1.1 piano hinges"; "25 - 50 chips"; "85.36 pound coins" and "153.85 marbles".

The signs, in Montgomery, Powys, have got people talking, Mr Williams said.

"The idea was to get people bemused and then to chat when the penny dropped, because queueing is boring," he said.

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The response had been positive, Mr Williams said, although not everybody initially understood what it was about.

"One chap said, 'I don't get it'," Mr Williams said. "I explained it to him and he said, 'How very Montgomery'.

"It's nice to see when the penny drops."

Graphic designer Keith Williams spent 11 hours over two days painting the signs

The signs were finished on Monday after Mr Williams spent 11 hours on his hands and knees painting them.

Ms Collins, who runs "zero-waste" catering business Shed 38, said: "Each sign has some relevance to the business they are outside.

"So outside the cafe is '22 scones and 33.7 carrot cakes'."

The hope was they would spark conversations in the town

The scones and carrots were not laid end-to-end on the pavement to measure, she explained.

"We measured a scone and measured a carrot cake and did the maths," said Ms Collins.

"We thought that we would stick to (Shed 38's) zero-waste theme - we didn't want to get carrot cakes on the floor."