Welsh language sign mistake in Worcester by Severn Trent Water contractors

Contractors left drivers in an English suburb scratching their heads when they put up Welsh language signs while fixing water works.

Severn Trent Water this week put their hands up to the error, on St Peter's Drive, Worcester.

Motorist and parish councillor John Renshaw stopped for snaps of them as he was approaching a roundabout.

"How have we got Welsh language signs?" he said. "I'm sure St Peter's Welsh-speaking community is quite small."

He said: "I thought it was strange because they were in Welsh, Welsh first and English underneath," he said.

"Initially I thought it was something to do with the county doing road improvements so I made inquiries.

"It was contractors with Severn Trent who had erected the signs for a diversion. I raised the issue and 48 hours later they had changed the signs to English signs."

"I was told the signs came from the Welsh depot of the contractors so that is how they ended up there," he said.

"Though surely the workers putting up the signs would have noticed there was a problem with the language? I've lived here for 18 years and it was a first time for me to see that happen."

Severn Trent Water said: "We'd like to apologise on behalf of our contractor for any confusion that was caused by these road signs.

"They were made aware of the error straight away and removed them immediately."

That meant The Worcester News could tell its readers that "the motorists of Worcester can rest easy knowing they will not require Welsh lessons to travel safely".

However, this was far from the first time that there has been confusion with Welsh language signs, both inside and outside Wales.

In 2008 a sign was erected in Swansea that read in English: "No entry for heavy goods vehicles. Residential site only".

But the Welsh translation said: "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated".

The error came about after officials asked for the Welsh translation of a road sign. They thought the reply was what they needed.

At the time, the editor of the Welsh language magazine Golwg said it was "all too common that things are not just badly translated, but are put together by people who have no idea about the language."

Meanwhile, a Welsh language road sign in Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, in 2012 urged drivers to "follow the entertainment" rather than take a diversion.

The translation uses the word "adloniant" which only means diversion in terms of a pastime or hobby.

The signs, put up by Network Rail contractors, also used the non-existent word "acses" to mean access.

At one Swansea Tesco in 2008, signs told drivers to exit left in the Welsh language - allanfa - and on the right in English.

But the store said that while there was a contradiction between the signs, both directions are in fact exits, although one of them was via the petrol station.

Welsh spelling mistakes on public signs landed Wrexham council in trouble in 2018 with the language commissioner.

The authority was also warned to ensure Welsh was not treated less favourably than English on its notices.

It came after parking information at country parks had to be changed when a member of the public highlighted Welsh errors by taking a marker pen to a sign.

Shoppers in Caerphilly county were left baffled after a store installed new Welsh signs which instead feature Scottish Gaelic words in 2014.

Welsh language tutor Jonathan Ford spotted the signs at the Bedwas Co-operative after its £360,000 refit.

One of the signs read "Biad-pheatan" as the translation for "pet food." "Biadh" means food in Scottish Gaelic and "pheatan" could be an attempt to translate "peata" meaning pet - the sign should read "bwyd anifeiliaid anwes" in Welsh.