ADDING Cornish versions of road names to signs is a waste of taxpay ers' money, Helston town councillors said last week.

Kerrier district council, which is responsible for the initiative, had asked the town council to choose its preferred option from several differ ent translations of road names in Helston.

But members said the new signs were not cheap - in excess of £50 each - and ratepayers' money could be better spent.

Niall Devenish added that the signs that had already been replaced had been found to be "totally and utterly confusing".

Sue Swift agreed, commenting: "If you are a stranger presented with all this, you could go round for a week trying to find where you are."

Helston historian Martin Matthews had been consulted on which Cornish road names should be used, but councillors decided they would rather the signs remained as they were.

They agreed to decline choosing any Cornish names, although said they believed Kerrier would pursue the initiative anyway because it was part of a drive to promote the Cornish language and the distinctiveness of the county.

Members told the district council road signs should be replaced as and when necessary, but the additional cost of adding the Cornish name was not justified.

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