Abbey Road sign to be auctioned

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the album

An Abbey Road street sign is being auctioned on eBay to raise money for London transport schemes.

This particular sign was installed six years ago, but removed in 2007 because of graffiti damage by Beatles fans.

The Beatles' Abbey Road album, which sold millions of copies, features the quiet street in north-west London on its cover.

Westminster Council is auctioning 42 other West End signs, including ones for Bow Street and Covent Garden.

A new enamelled steel Abbey Road sign is about to be installed although the council is working on a graffiti-proof prototype for use in the future.

Iconic street signs

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of Abbey Road, where the Beatles are seen on the cover walking over the zebra crossing.

Councillor Danny Chalkley, cabinet member for city management, said: "This is a rare opportunity for someone to own a precious piece of Beatles memorabilia and Westminster history."

Previously, Westminster Council raised £18,000 from a similar auction of street signs.

Martin Low, director of transportation, added: "Auctioning old, redundant street signs is an innovative way of offsetting the costs we would incur anyway, as these needed replacing.

"As an efficient council we are always looking for new ways to offer value for money and this is a great way for people to get hold of one of our iconic street signs and make some money for the council to invest in its streets."