A PIERCEBRIDGE man is taking the battle to get rid of his village's dual persona to the highest in the land.

Brian Jefferson wants land on the North Yorkshire side of the River Tees alongside the George Hotel to be reinstated as Cliffe.

Otherwise, he says, Piercebridge, which is over the bridge on the County Durham side, is in two counties. Now, he has written to Richmond MP William Hague, the Prime Minister and the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, making his point.

He points out that Cliffe is shown on all maps of the area, despite the fact that Manfield and Cliffe Parish Council says there is no actual place. "If this is so, then how come the parish council acknowledges the existence of Cliffe in its title?" he asks.

"The problem could be so easily solved," said Mr Jefferson. "The road sign to the south of the community could be lettered Cliffe and in brackets (Piercebridge) since it is the next community along the B6275, a practice common on road signs."