Council claims punctuation is “confusing”

icono-de-punto-de-exclamacion_21147436A local council has revised plans to remove apostrophes from street signs.

Mid Devon Council made a decision earlier this month to abolish the punctuation on signs around the area to “avoid confusion.” Apostrophes were dropped from signs in Birmingham several years ago.

Following a public backlash, Mid Devon Councillor Peter Hare-Scott said:

We are reviewing the situation and I shall be recommending to cabinet on March 28 that they amend the policy so that street names may indeed in future have apostrophes.

The policy was designed to prevent streets being given “inappropriate and confusing” street names, which could have “adverse consequences in times of emergency”. New streets and roads cannot have a name which ends in the letter S, where the S can be possessive or plural. Names beginning with “The” are also banned.