Brits nix Victorian bridge name clean-up

CASTLEFORD, England, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Residents of a British town have successfully opposed an attempt by officials to clean up the name of a railway underpass dating back to the Victorian era.

Local groups in Castleford, England, said the Wakefield district council gave up its attempt to rename Tickle Cock bridge as Tittle Cott bridge and the original name will now be printed on a plaque at the landmark, The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

Margaret Shillito, chairwoman of the over-50s group Castleford Area Voice for the Elderly, said her group and others pushed to reverse the change after officials put up a plaque bearing the Tittle Cott name.

"The old plaque was wrong, it had the wrong name on and we were offended by it," Shillito said. "It was important to keep the name rather than having a new one just because someone decided it sounded a bit better."

"Tickle Cock is how the bridge has been known for generations. We love the name, it has got character and history. We don't want a name there for posterity that is wrong," she said.

Officials said they agreed to reverse the name change, including the change of plaques, after a public meeting where the vast majority of citizens came out in support of the original name, which is believed to date back to the late 19th or early 20th century.