Westbury's controversial Slag Lane signs to be reinstated

In 2014, Westbury Town Council voted not to rename Slag Lane "Lakeside View" despite new residents claiming Slag Lane was "inappropriate"

Two signs with a road name that divided a community and were removed by "a few angry residents" are to be reinstated.

Slag Lane in Westbury, named after slag piles from iron works, lost its signage more than five years ago.

It follows a town council decision in 2014 not to rename it "Lakeside View" despite new residents claiming Slag Lane was inappropriate.

Wiltshire Council said new signs have been ordered and will be installed early in 2024.

The Slag Lane road signs could be spotted on Google Maps in 2009, albeit blurred out, and again in 2011.

But by September 2016 the signage is on its side and two years later it had disappeared.

The Slag Lane road signs can be seen blurred out in 2009 on Google Maps

By September 2016, one sign is missing and the other is "believed" to have been knocked over by a bus taking a left turn

In November, a local resident wrote on the Spotted Westbury Facebook group calling for the signs to be reinstated even though "some residents don't like the signs being up".

Replying to the post, one user said it was "only newcomers to the town" who put "adverse connotations to the lane's name".

Another poster in response questioned: "Why buy or rent a home in a lane with a name you don't like?"

In August 2018, there is no sign of the signage on either said of the road

Despite speculation the road signs were removed "by a few angry residents", Westbury Town Council, said it was "believed a bus knocked it over when it was taking a left turn".

Wiltshire Council said it was "unsure what happened" but the issue had been raised through the Local Highways and Footway Improvement Group.

"It was taken forward to be resolved under local highways maintenance," a spokeswoman said.

"The new signs were ordered immediately after the meeting. We hope the new signs will be installed early in the new year."