Council to reinstate 'rude' road signs on Slag Lane in Wiltshire
Signs at Slag Lane in the town of Westbury in Wiltshire are to be reinstated despite some concerns the street name is 'too rude'.
Road signs are to be reinstated on a street in Wiltshire after concerns they were too rude, it has been reported.
The two signs along Slag Lane in the town of Westbury were taken away more than five years ago and have never been replaced.
However, the BBC reported on Tuesday that Wiltshire Council plans to bring back the signage at some point in the new year.
Ten years ago, the council decided not to rename the road "Lakeside View" even though some residents felt that Slag Lane was not an appropriate moniker.
The street is named after the slag piles from the town's iron works, while many locals have pointed out that the name only offends recent arrivals to the area.
But Wiltshire Council has now said that new signs have been ordered and will be erected on the road in the coming days and weeks.
It is unclear how the signs were removed in 2018, with some claiming it was done by angry residents, although it is also believed that a bus may have knocked one of the signs over when making a turn.
The Slag Lane road signs could be seen on Google Maps in 2011 but they were blurred out, before the signage was on its side in 2016 and gone completely by 2018.
One resident posted on Facebook in November that the signs should be brought back even though "some residents don't like the signs being up".
A Facebook user who replied to the post said it was "only newcomers to the town" who put "adverse connotations to the lane's name".
One user joked that perhaps some residents would be happier if the road name was changed to "Escort Lane" instead.
Gordon King, Liberal Democrat councillor for Westbury East, told Yahoo News UK: "I am keen to ensure that every road in Westbury is clearly signed and in place to improve connectivity and movement about the town, and in that respect, I am delighted that Wiltshire Council are proceeding with our request to reinstate these street signs.
"Slag Lane is the name given to the highway at that location when the Westbury Iron works began production in 1858. Slag is a by-product of iron workings which is well known to our residents and is not meant to be either rude or derogatory in any way. We would expect anyone moving to our town to understand that and help protect and maintain our heritage."
Jean Darling, from Darling Interiors, which makes curtains and blinds and is based on Slag Lane, told Yahoo News UK: "I don’t think anyone who lives on slag Lane has a problem with the name.
"We find it amusing and it has no impact on my business. We asked for the sign to be reinstated in February 2023, the sign was not removed by vandalism, it was a bus that knocked it over on the corner."
Councillor Caroline Thomas, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for transport and street scene, told Yahoo News UK: "Following a request raised through the Local Highways and Footway Improvement group last April, with support from Westbury Town Council, new replacement signage was ordered for Slag Lane in Westbury.
"Whilst we are unsure what had happened to the original signage, the replacement signage has now been delivered and has been programmed for installation in due course as part of our local highways maintenance programme.”
The UK map of rude street names
Earlier this year, LeaseCar UK compiled a list of the rudest street names across the country.
Dubbed the "UK's Rudest Road Trip", it included some rather rude names for roads across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Among the street names to be included were Backside Lane in Doncaster, South Yorkshire; Semicock Road in Ballymoney, Co Antrim; Slack Bottom in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire; Hardon Road in Wolverhampton, West Midlands and Crotch Crescent in Oxford, Oxfordshire.
Tim Alcock from LeaseCar UK said: “This country is known for its eccentric nature, and the general reaction to these wacky road names really demonstrates our frank British humour.
“Who knows how long these roads will keep their rude names as we’re already seeing residents want to get them changed."
Recommended reading
Petition calls for safety improvements in country lane (Wiltshire Times)
Theft of Bell End street sign 'a sad state of affairs', say locals (Yahoo News UK)
Cornwall location included on the UK's 'rudest road trip' route (Falmouth Packet)
