Train operator under fire for Mossley Hill station mispronunciation

A train operator has come under fire from residents for continuing to mispronounce the name of a station.

Northern said it was updating onboard announcements after feedback some station names were wrongly pronounced.

But users of Mossley Hill station in Liverpool said the new suggested pronunciation was still not right.

"It's completely ridiculous," Mossley Hill's Liberal Democrat councillor Rob McAllister-Bell said.

"The announcement should reflect the area. I think residents will find this laughable and it shouldn't happen."

The operator has launched a consultation to ensure the pronunciations were correct and acknowledged the current pronunciation which passengers hear onboard 'Mozz-ley' was incorrect.

It said it was now planning to use 'Mose-ley', which has prompted uproar from local people as it is still incorrect.

The correct pronunciation is 'Moss-ley'.

"I know of nobody who would call it 'Moseley' Hill," added Mr McAllister-Bell, who said he had not been consulted on the changes.

"Mossley Hill has a long heritage and has been an electoral ward in Liverpool for a long time. It's clearly identifiable. There's a pub - the Rose of Mossley - pronounced the same."

Pub regular Steve said: "Have they got nothing better to do? It's wrong. Sounds like they're having a laugh.

"It's pronounced 'moss' - it grows on the trees because it's a leafy area!".

In Rose Lane Coffee next door, customer Sue was similarly dismissive.

"Mossley Hill has been Mossley Hill since its been on the map - it's not Mozzley or Moseley. What's going on? How dare they try and change it. It's plain, utter, ridiculousness."

Pete Creswell tweeted: "This is too daft for words. It's obviously pronounced, well, 'Mossley'. We've never heard it pronounced any other way!"

Tim Owen, head of trains and stations at Northern, said it was "clear people are passionate about getting the names right".

"We've had feedback from people that the pronunciations aren't how they should be," he said.

"We cover a wide area from Merseyside to Cumbria and back down it's quite diverse with lots of different dialects. Peter and Laura who do the recordings are based in York and they might not have been to all the places on our network. They are real people.

"They have got more studio time booked so we hope we can get it corrected. We have a few on the list that are up for debate, shall we say."

Other areas on the network the operator has had similar feedback include:

Customers have until the end of the month to submit their suggestions and corrections.

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