After six years in relative darkness, drivers entering the capital tonight are to be lit up once again by the return of an unlikely London landmark.

Later today a neon Lucozade sign will be switched on by the side of the M4 flyover in Brentford - a bright beacon that had once been a regular sight to London-bound drivers for 50 years.

It was originally erected in 1954 as one of the UK's first examples of “kinetic sculpture” but removed in 2004 when the building was earmarked for demolition, making national newspaper headlines in the process. The drink manufacturer said the giant advert’s return was made possible following a six-year campaign by “London locals”.

The new sign, an exact replica of the original, is being installed 200m from its initial site on the side of a GlaxoSmithKline-owned building. It features the same familiar Lucozade bottle, the company slogan from the 1950s and a date, time and temperature panel, just like the original.

Brentford ward councillor Matt Harmer said: “I know that there are strong feelings about the preponderance of large advertising hoardings along the A4 but personally I always liked the old one so am happy to have it back.

“It was usually a reminder for me of how late I was for work.”

Ken Livingstone, London Mayor at the time of the original sign’s removal, said: “Hounslow is a testament to how people can group together for important issues and use their collective power to save what is important to the community. There are a multitude of well-loved landmarks that make Londoners proud of being part of the city.”

Architectural expert James Woudhuysen added: “Kinetic sculptures have really moved on from the 1950s and have become an integral part of cities such as Shanghai and Hong Kong.

“The Lucozade sign is an historic piece of art which illustrates how over a period of time such things become synonymous to an area and are eventually integrated into the community.”

Since 2004, the original ad, taken down in a state of complete disrepair, has been housed at the Gunnersbury Museum, where parts of it have featured in displays documenting the history of Hounslow.

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