Looking for a 't' thief

Do you remember the row over the correct way to spell Llansantffraid? Well, it appears to have taken a very sad turn for the worse.

After Powys County Council removed the ‘t’ from the village name four years back, residents lobbied hard to ensure to was put back.

But this week, a campaigner has taken matters into their own hands and removed the ‘t’ from roads signs around the village by burning.

It has enraged County Councillor Gwynfor Thomas who said: “Someone defaced all the entry signs to Llansantffraid village by burning off the letter T.

“We can only assume that this was done by a pathetic minority who don’t want to see the village name spelt with a ‘t’. I am afraid they do more harm than good to their views.

“I am sure they will one day realise that their actions are childish and immature and actually achieve nothing.

“So many people in the village are working hard to make it a better place in appearance and there is a goal to enter village of the year in 2019. How does this help?

“The police have been informed and anybody who saw any suspicious activity on Tuesday evening please let us know.”

The village was originally named Llansanffraid-ym-Mechain, which means “Church of Saint Bride” after the Celtic female Saint Brigit. But the name was changed 150 years ago to Llansantffraid – a decision which Welsh linguists say suggests the incorrect gender of the saint, as the ‘t’ implies a male.

Six years ago it was dropped, but following a wave of public protest, it was reinstated two years later, and that was thought to be the end of the matter until this week’s sad events.