Embarrassed officials have returned the centrepiece of their market town's celebrations after it proclaimed in dazzling neon lights the greeting "Welcome to Bed."

The setpiece, to mark the 750th anniversary of Bedale, North Yorkshire, was to hang between two lamp stands at the town's entrance and be unveiled with the Christmas lights tonight. But a mix-up over imperial and metric measurements resulted in the Austrian manufacturers sending a Welcome to Bedale sign that was too long.

As a result, the last three letters would have had to go to fit the space - resulting in the inviting logo "Welcome to Bed".

"It may well have attracted visitors but it wasn't really the message we wanted to convey," said Bedale's deputy mayor and Christmas lights committee man John Noone.

"We may not be Blackpool illuminations but we have put a lot of effort into our lights this year. "When it arrived, it was obvious there had been a mix-up. It took ten of us to lift the sign and it was too long and too deep.

"A sign that big should say Welcome to England - not Bedale. We would have had to lose the end letters and stand it on the pavement. It was a real let-down."

The sign cost £1,200 and also carries the words "Market Town since 1251" beneath the welcome. Mr Noone said: "The supplier made a site visit when we placed the order so knew exactly what we wanted.

"But it appears that, when he has relayed the information to the Austrian manufacturers, there has been some mix-up over imperial and metric measurements.

"It's a shame we've missed the big switch-on but the suppliers accept it is their fault and have promised to get a proper size sign to us in time for Christmas.