Fake shop fronts hide Northern Ireland economic woes before G8

Kevin Maguire, age 62, walks his dog past a vacant shop, with graphics pasted to the outside to make it look like working butchers shop, in the village of Belcoo, Northern Ireland June 3, 2013. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

BELCOO, Northern Ireland (Reuters) - Local councils in Northern Ireland have painted fake shop fronts and covered derelict buildings with huge billboards to hide the economic hardship being felt in towns and villages near the golf resort where G8 leaders will meet this month.

Northern Ireland's government has spent 2 million pounds tackling dereliction over the past two years, the province's environment department said, demolishing some buildings and giving others a facelift in a bid to make areas more attractive.