Lollipop signs bearing the word 'children' are being phased out in Bradford and Kirklees - all because of the Welsh.

Since 1985 the wording on all road signs in Wales has been in English and the Welsh equivalent.

But because the Welsh word for children is 'plant', school crossing patrols would have had to carry signs saying 'Stop Plant Children'.

To solve the problem, the Welsh Office came up with the idea of replacing the words with images of children.

Richard Houghton, road safety officer for Kirklees Council, said: "You can imagine the confusion for non-Welsh speaking drivers with the bizarre double meaning.

"It could be interpreted as asking drivers to stop and plant children, or some mysterious beings called plant children.''

Councillor Peter Sykes, chairman of Kirklees Council's road safety committee, said: "In their wisdom the Department of the Environment and the Scottish Office liked the Welsh idea and decided, for purposes of uniformity, to adopt it in 1995. The new rules gave local councils four years to replace the old signs with the new.''

Bradford Council has replaced a quarter of its 150 lollipop sticks and expects to complete the task by the end of next year.

But Kirklees Council has replaced all but two of its 170 signs and even those will be binned by next week.

The new sign features the word 'Stop' but underneath there is a silhouette of two children holding hands crossing the road. It is the same image as the one used on red triangular signs alerting motorists to children crossing the road which is also used in Wales.

Councillor Phil Thornton (Lab, Shipley East), chairman of Bradford Council's highways committee, said: "It makes sense to have lollipop signs with images of children in Bradford where many people don't understand English.

"The symbol of children crossing is an international one and therefore understood by all drivers.''

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