Many thought it was an early April Fool, and now a public backlash has forced the Town Council to change its mind about sounding an air-raid siren from the town hall this week.
Previously they announced that the siren would go off for two minutes whilst the official list of candidates running for the upcoming town council elections were placed in the town hall window on Wednesday.
It was also hoped that the feature would be used during other civic events.
But a bemused public couldn’t see the point, with some saying on Facebook that it may spark panic among those who lived through the war years.
One user added it was the “worst idea from the council in a while” while another said “it will upset the children”. Other comments bordered on the offensive.
But this morning the town clerk, Robert Robinson, announced the u-turn.
“We announced that the siren would go off on 5th April on social media and received a lot of comments that people felt it was not appropriate,” he said.
“The Town Council does listen to public comment, even the rude ones, and in consultation with the Mayor we have decided due to the public comments not to proceed. The siren will have its inaugural sounding at another time to be determined.”
The siren was once used to summon the local fire service but has not been used for many years. A new siren has been donated by the Tulloch family in memory of a family member who served in the Welshpool brigade.