Officials urge Amy Winehouse fans to stop stealing street signs

Officials in the London neighborhood where Amy Winehouse lived are pleading with fans to stop stealing street signs.

The late Back to Black singer lived on Camden Square in Camden, north London for several years before she died in the house in 2011, and many fans have since paid tribute to the star by scrawling messages on street signs near her home.

A total of 14 Camden Square signposts have been stolen since the tragedy, and local council officials are now urging Winehouse fans to stop taking them as memorabilia because it costs residents $464 to replace each sign.

Councillor Phil Jones tells the London Evening Standard, "Amy is a Camden legend... and I can understand why fans may want to take a souvenir home with them from our area... However, removing these signs defaces the local neighborhood and they have to be replaced at Camden taxpayers' expense.

"There are plenty of stallholders in the local markets who will gladly sell Amy memorabilia to those who want to remember her... I think a better tribute than nicking (stealing) a street sign would be to make a donation to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, to help young people affected by drug and alcohol misuse."

Winehouse's home was sold in 2012.