Angry villagers have called for official tourist plaques promoting historic Saltaire to be scrapped because they are littered with errors.

The signs, installed over the Bank Holiday weekend by Bradford Council, are full of embarrassing blunders - the worst of which sees Sir Titus Salt given the wrong birth date.

Today Clive Woods, chairman of the Saltaire Village Society, said: "We want the signs taken down immediately. The Council can bring them back when it's got them right."

He said the situation was all the more baffling because its members pointed out the mistakes when the designs were first aired.

And he added the Village Society would be doing everything it could to have the signs scrapped, including contacting Shipley MP Chris Leslie and alerting companies used as official sponsors.

Mr Woods said: "We told the Council some of the details were incorrect 12 months ago when the plans were unveiled at a Civic Trust presentation.

"It's one big mess, which could have been avoided if the Council had only taken the trouble to consult.

"We can't physically remove the signs, but the Council can be shamed into taking them out. We will start by letting the sponsors know about the mix-up."

Companies that have backed the signs include Filtronic, Pace, Boots and British Waterways. The plaques contain information about the tourist attractions on offer and Sir Titus Salt himself.

Saltaire's creator was born on September 20, 1803, not September 26 as stated. And he became Mayor of Bradford in 1848, not 1849.

The Salt family coat of arms, the symbol chosen to head each of the five metal plaques, is also incorrect.

And tourists using the signs to plan their route are being sent to a supposed shopping area on Caroline Street which is devoid of shops, and the Half Moon Caf which only opens when the local cricket team is in action.

A team of United Nations Inspectors is scheduled to visit the village next year to decide whether Saltaire should be awarded World Heritage Status.

Shipley MP Chris Leslie said: "This is a useful exercise in how not to set plans in cast iron too early without thorough checking. I should think it will be quite expensive to correct.

"The UN inspection team is not due to visit until next year, so there is time to put things right. But it's full marks for effort and no marks for accuracy."

Leisure committee chairman Coun Barry Thorne said: "If the signs are wrong we will see who is responsible and get them changed."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.