Welsh language campaigners want village of Varteg to be renamed 'Farteg' - but villagers fear it will make them the butt of playground jokes

• Campaigners say the ancient name should be replaced because there is no 'V' in the Welsh language
• But villagers fear 'Farteg' will make them the butt of playground jokes
• They have dubbed the campaigners 'a lot of gasbags'

People living in the small Welsh village of Varteg are kicking up a stink about plans to rename it 'Farteg' - claiming it sounds like a 'schoolboy's playground insult'. Welsh language campaigners say the ancient name should be replaced because there is no 'V' in the ancient tongue of Wales. However, villagers fear they will be the butt of playground jokes if road signs are put up displaying the flatulent name. Sioned Jones, 42, who lives in the village near Pontypool, South Wales, said: 'Just imagine how embarrassing it will be to have the word "fart" in your village's name - never mind being followed by "egg".

Kicking up a stink: People living in the small Welsh village of Varteg are protesting against plans to rename it 'Farteg'

'I'd be humiliated every time I told someone my address. Everyone will be laughing at us and coming to get photographed next to the street signs. 'I just think it's ridiculous - these Welsh language campaigners are a lot of gasbags, they’re full of hot air.' Fellow villager Ray Leyshon, 62, said: 'Can you imagine the bus going past and some naughty schoolboy shouting: "You are going to Fart Egg". It is just a bad joke.' Many road signs in Wales display place names in both English and Welsh - and Torfaen council is now consulting on which form should be used in Varteg, which has a population of about 1,000 people. Proposal: Welsh language campaigners are calling for the Welsh translation 'Farteg' to be added to road names and street signs in the village near Pontypool, South Wales

Butt of jokes: Villagers fear they will be ridiculed if road signs are put up displaying the flatulent name

Campaigners are calling for the Welsh translation 'Farteg' to be added to road names and street signs in the village.

'Just imagine how embarrassing it will be to have the word "fart" in your village's name - never mind being followed by "egg"' Villager Sioned Jones

However, the idea has been slammed by Torfaen MP Paul Murphy, who described the new name as 'dubious', 'Why should people in Varteg be told how to spell their own place name?' he said. 'Varteg is not an English word so translating it is totally unnecessary. “It’s a name that reflects our rich history and culture in the Eastern Valley, with its Welsh language and English language influences.

Debate: A Torfaen council spokesman said changing the village's current name to 'Farteg' would be 'inappropriate'. But the village could still have its name changed to 'Y Farteg' 'I’m supportive of sensible steps to help the Welsh language, but this is not the way to achieve that - it will only fuel resentment.'

THE ANCIENT TONGUE OF WALES

The Welsh alphabet traditionally consists of these 28 letters: a, b, c, ch, d, dd, e, f, ff, g, ng, h, i, l, ll, m, n, o, p, ph, r, rh, s, t, th, u, w, y The letter 'j' is now often included in the alphabet, between the letters 'i' and 'l'

A Torfaen council spokesman said changing the village's current name to 'Farteg' would be 'inappropriate'. However, village could still have its name changed to 'Y Farteg' - with locals now being consulted about this. The spokesman said: 'After discussion with the local councillor, 'Farteg' was considered inappropriate and was not adopted at the time. 'The Welsh language commissioner has proposed the alternative name “Y Farteg,” upon which the residents of the Varteg community will be able to express their views.'

THE HAMLET OF SHITTERTON: THE UK'S MOST UNFORTUNATE PLACE NAME

The hamlet of Shitterton in Dorset has been voted the UK's most unfortunate place name. The tiny collection of homes, which lies between Dorchester and Poole, is widely considered to be the most embarrassing place to live, according to a survey by www.findmypast.co.uk last year.

Unlucky: The hamlet of Shitterton holds the title of the UK's most unfortunate place name

It beat the nearby valley of Scratchy Bottom, near Durdle Door in Dorset, and Brokenwind in Aberdeenshire. Shitterton is a very literal English translation of the village name recorded in Norman French in the 11th century Domesday Book as Scatera or Scetra. It means a little town that is on the stream of a midden or sewer. The unfortunately-named hamlet also beat off competition from Crapstone in Devon, Ugley in Essex, Back Passage in London, Sandy Balls in the New Forest, Old Sodbury in Gloucestershire and North Piddle in rural Worcestershire. Contenders for the UK's most unfortunate street name included Slag Lane in Haydock, Merseyside, Pratts Bottom in Kent and Hooker Road in Norwich.