A MISSPELT road sign in North-East town has forced council officials to admit they have made a blunder.

The sign, which is supposed to welcome visitors to Hartlepool's Headland, misspells the name of famous son Adam De Brus, as Adam De Bras.

Angry members of Headland Town Council are now asking Hartlepool Borough Council to replace the plinth.

"It is a bit disappointing when we have waited a long time for this," said Headland council member Maureen Price. "We have had a lot of consultations about it to try to get it right, so that everyone was happy with it."

She said the sign, on West View Road, was intended to give visitors a brief history of Hartlepool.

The mistake is all the more embarrassing because the De Brus name is so well-known in Hartlepool. The family were medieval lords of the manor and Adam De Brus gave the town its first charter in the 12th Century.

"The sign is going to be standing there for a long time, so we will be asking for a new one or for something to be done because it's wrong," added Mrs Price.

No one from Hartlepool council was available for comment yesterday.