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'Borough of Ebbsfleet' on Longhoughton Avenue sign printed in error

A street sign placing it in a mystery borough has left local people a bit confused.

Just above the words Longhoughton Avenue on the road sign is small lettering above it which reads "Borough of Ebbsfleet".

Residents were confused when they spotted this sign in Ebbsfleet. Picture: Bernard Osullivan | Facebook
Residents were confused when they spotted this sign in Ebbsfleet. Picture: Bernard Osullivan | Facebook

But no such place exists.

The road is part of the Ebbsfleet Garden City development which when finished will have 15,000 homes.

More than 3,000 houses have already been completed in the area near Swanscombe, which straddles the the boundaries of Gravesham and Dartford borough councils.

However, on a sign on one of the new roads near Bluewater shopping centre it reads 'Borough of Ebbsfleet'.

The mistake was picked up by locals who were confused and irritated by the mistake.

Historian and speaker guide Christoph Bull said: "It is not a borough. In fact it is just a large development with no history of its own.

"It is Swanscombe and Northfleet that are the real historic places with real identities."

One person wrote: "What idiots got paid money to produce this rubbish sign? It needs to be replaced."

Another added: "They make this up as they go."

The sign was spotted at this development in Ebbsfleet. Picture: Google Maps
The sign was spotted at this development in Ebbsfleet. Picture: Google Maps

Ebbsfleet Development Corporation CEO Ian Piper confirmed this was done in error and there are plans for it to be fixed.

He said: "The developer has taken it upon themselves to put this designation on street name signs, clearly in error, and EDC are liaising with the developer to get them changed."

A Dartford Borough Council spokesman said: "Despite this clear mistake, Ebbsfleet remains a vibrant and growing location within the borough of Dartford.

"Ebbsfleet Development Corporation is liaising with the developer on site to get the street signage changed."

The developers have been approached for comment.

This was not the first sign in Kent to feature misspellings or incorrect information.

In Ashford, a huge sign erected at the new traffic-light controlled junction from Waterbrook Avenue in Ashford mistakenly labels the area of Newtown as "Newton".

The error was described as "unprofessional" and "disrespectful".

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