Welsh language house names 'should be protected by law'

Welsh names on cottages and houses should be protected by law, a councillor has said.

Vaughan Williams, a town councillor in Holyhead, Anglesey, said changing names from Welsh to English was akin to "linguistic cleansing".

He wants the Welsh Government to legislate to ensure the country's history and heritage are not forgotten.

The Welsh Government said it regards place names and historic property as "essential elements" of the language.

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Mr Williams made the comments after a social media post showed the name of an old bakery near Pentraeth, had been renamed The Gingerbread House after being converted into a holiday home.

He said the name change was an act with the "intent to eliminate a minority language and replace it with a majority language".

"These names have a historical meaning and that is what has angered me personally," he said.

Vaughan Williams said renaming place names was equivalent to "linguistic cleansing"

Anglesey council said 2,619 properties in the area were classed as second homes or holiday homes.

Second homes on the island are subject to additional council tax and there is no legal requirement for homeowners to keep Welsh names.

A council spokesman said it urged individuals to keep current names but "there is no national legislation on enforcement, which would allow any authority to prevent a house name being changed from Welsh to English".

Mr Williams said: "We need to legislate. I don't think any other country would accept the same treatment as us."

There is no law at present forcing residents to keep names on houses but a Welsh Government spokesman said "a statutory list of historic Welsh place names, which already contains nearly 700,000 records, raises awareness of the richness of our heritage".