MID Devon District Council's apparent intention to do away with the apostrophe on its street signs has already aroused much negative comment, locally.

And not just locally.

Today I received word from a correspondent in Oregon that Mid Devon has become "a laughing stock up and down the West Coast of the USA."

Hardly the image the Council should be projecting to the wider world.

Peter Craske

Blackhall Cottage

South Tawton

Editor's note: MID Devon District Council's proposed reversal of plans to continue removing the apostrophe from street signs in Devon is still not guaranteed.

The council sparked fury among lovers of the English language with its proposal to expunge the apostrophe to avoid "confusion" last month.

The mark appeared to have been saved from extinction after the council leader signalled a U-turn on plans to ban punctuation from new road signs.

Council Leader, Peter Hare-Scott said he was "personally" not happy about English that's incorrect, adding that the omission was "not acceptable".

However, at a meeting to decide the issue, the authority decided to consult with national standards before making a firm decision.

A council spokesman said: "The council's cabinet is clear that it doesn't want to contribute to lowering standards of English by stopping the proper use of apostrophes in new street names.

"To decide on a consistent approach to street naming and numbering, we will be looking again at various aspects of our draft policy, not just that of apostrophes.

"We will be referring to national guidelines including the relevant British Standard and liaising with other local authorities and national organisations to come up with the best possible policy for Mid Devon."