Signs point to costly spelling errors

Published on Tuesday 22 December 2009 21:57

SCOTTISH councils have spent hundreds of pounds correcting spelling errors on street signs after employees' mistakes.

The errors include Glasgow City Council, which said about five road signs had been corrected since January 2003 at a cost of about 300 for the Crowne Plaza hotel after an error by a council employee left off the letter 'e'.

Dundee City Council said two signs had been corrected since January last year at an approximate cost of 90 each.

A spelling mistake resulted in Mentieth Street instead of Menteith Street, and a "typing error" led to Drumlanrig Drive instead of Drumlanrig Place.

However, when asked how many had been corrected since January 2003, the council said it estimated the cost of complying with the questions "would exceed 600" – the prescribed cut-off under the law in Scotland.

Renfrewshire Council said two road signs which were wrongly spelt last year had been replaced at a total cost of 60.

A West Lothian Council spokeswoman said: "Spelling errors have been corrected on five West Lothian street signs since 2003.

"In 2003, two name plates were changed from Mansfield to Mansefield at an estimated cost of 300 due to council error. In 2007, Livingstone was changed to Livingston in one nameplate at a cost of 160. This sign was inherited from another authority.

"In 2008, a nameplate spelt Munrow was changed to Munro at no cost to the council due to contractor error, and a nameplate was corrected to Harestanes from Haresdanes at a cost of 168."

A road number error for the Clachan junction signs by an Isle of Lewis council employee led to two "direction signs" being corrected and the authority splashing out 1,216.12 in 2007.

A mileage error by a member of staff also cost the council 50 this year for the main road in Harris.

Speaking about another correction to a spelling error on a sign on the main road in Harris in 2008 which cost 50, the spokeswoman said: "The spelling error was the Gaelic spelling of Stornoway which is 'Steornabhagh'. The spelling on the sign from the manufacturer was 'Streornabhagh'."

East Dunbartonshire Council said it had paid out 2,667 for correcting street name signs since January 2003.

East Lothian Council said 28 pedestrian fingerpost signs had been corrected in 2004 that had metric distances instead of imperial at the approximate cost of 500.

There was also the mis-spelling of Hawick on a road sign on the A7 road outside Edinburgh. The Borders town was written as Harwick and led to an response from Hawick MSP John Lamont, who said he couldn't believe the blunder, calling it "disappointing".

Other councils said they did not collect the data or the request exceeded time and cost limits under Freedom of Information laws.

Named and shamed

Glasgow: five signs spelling Crown Plaza corrected to Crowne Plaza.

Dundee City Council: Mentieth Street instead of Menteith Street, and Drumlanrig Drive instead of Drumlanrig Place.

West Lothian Council: Two signs corrected from Mansfield in East Calder to Mansefield; Livingstone Street in Addiewell was corrected to Livingston Street; Munrow Way in Knightsridge, Livingston was corrected to Munro Way; Haresdanes Road in Armadale was corrected to Harestanes.

Western Isles Council: the Gaelic spelling of Stornoway was given as Streornabhagh, rather than Steornabhagh.