PLANS not to include the word 'stannary' on new entrance signs to Tavistock have been slammed as a 'remarkable act of historical vandalism'.

The new signs are to promote Tavistock and the Tamar Valley as part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Heritage area and the wording was agreed by Tavistock Town Council last November.

Due to the limitation on the number of words that can be included on the signs, it was decided to leave off stannary, which features on the current signs, and use historic market town instead.

But this has upset Tavistock resident and chairman of the Dartmoor Society Dr Tom Greeves, who said hundreds of years of significant history were to be forgotten.

'There were only four stannary towns in Devon — Chagford, Ashburton, Plympton St Maurice and Tavistock and only four in Cornwall,' he said.

'Administering the tin working industry through their stannary courts, these towns have a unique position in the legal history of this country and, indeed, the world.

'Tavistock stannary, which stretched from Okehampton to Plymouth, was active from at least the 13th Century until the 17th Century when it became the most important of Devon's stannaries.

'It is almost incomprehensible that anyone involved with mining heritage should ignore such an important part of Tavistock's tinworking legacy.'

The signs are being funded by the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Heritage Project and will include 'World Heritage Site' in the wording.

'All nine others areas included in the designation will also get signs at a later date but Tavistock is the pilot project.

At a meeting of West Devon Borough Council's environment and community committee this week members also felt that the word 'stannary' should replace 'market' in the sign.

Regeneration officer Robert Plumb said Devon County Highways was responsible for the final design and layout and to change the wording at this late stage may not be possible.

He said in discussions which had taken place since this first came up 18 months ago with town, borough and world heritage site partnership members, it was clear that people had favoured market town.

A spokesman for Devon County Council said there was limited space on the sign and the final wording had yet to be decided before the design was finalised and printed.