(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-12-12 16:44

The station sign read: "Every autumn a combination of leaves on the line, atmospheric conditions and prevailing damp conditions lead to a low adhesion between the rail head and the wheel which causes services to be delayed or even cancelled."

London's Gatwick Airport got 10 out of 10 for brevity but came bottom of the class for clarity for one of its signs: "Passenger shoe repatriation area only."

The campaign was founded in 1979 by Chrissie Maher who only learned to read and write at the age of 14. Her jargon watchers now pounce on verbal excesses by officialdom and stage classes for bureaucrats, bankers and lawyers.

Campaign organizers even sent two "language policemen" on a global tour from India to South Africa and the United States to teach officialdom the best way to abandon the gobbledegook.

Beer does not despair.

"There has been an improvement over the years but there is a long way to go. This is the 29th year of the campaign. There is no chance of us being extinct anytime soon."

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