Monmouth misspelt in Welsh 'farcical' translation error

Monmouth in Welsh translates to Trefynwy, meaning ‘town on the Monnow’.

However, on the A449 interchange at Usk, the town's spelling instead has an extra w, making it Trefwynwy. 

Andrew Ellis, who noticed the error, believes the incorrect spelling translates to the somewhat unfortunate ‘egg gas town.’

The misspelt sign on the A449 interchange at Usk (Image: Andrew Ellis)

Mr Ellis said: “We seem to have misspelled the Welsh name of our own town here. 

“Monmouth in Welsh is Trefywnwy, meaning town on the Monnow river.

“It has been written on this road sign slightly less romantically with an extra W in it to make it Trefwynwy. 

“If you break this down, Tref-wy-nwy actually transforms the meaning entirely to egg gas town. 

“I’m not really sure how long this sign has been there for.”

David Davies, secretary of state for Wales and Conservative MP for Monmouth, called the error ‘farcical’, and said it was a reminder "of the general incompetence of the Labour Welsh Government".

Mr Davies said: “It is pretty ludicrous to get something like this wrong.

“I am a reasonably fluent Welsh speaker, and we all make mistakes. The language has a lot of mutations and complicated grammar. But you would expect the Welsh Government to get the name of a town right.

“I have no idea how much a sign like this would have cost or how expensive it will be to fix the translation.

“Either way, it is going to be taxpayers who foot the bill. So perhaps we should just leave the sign there as a reminder of the general incompetence of the Labour Welsh Government.

“Ministers in Cardiff Bay are not only lost in translation when it comes to road signs, but all matters where they have responsibility – such as health, education and funding for local councils.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "We are aware of the incorrect spelling of Trefynwy on this sign and are making arrangements for it to be changed. We are checking other signs in the area.”