East Cambridgeshire District Council admitted this week that it made a cock-up with a street sign in Ely that was spelt incorrectly.

A keen-eyed resident noticed this week that one of the street signs heralding the entrance to Newnham Street was missing an ‘n’ – leaving confused drivers instead turning into ‘Newham’ Street.

The mix-up came despite a second, correctly spelt sign, sitting just 20 yards away on the opposite side of the road.

The council has promised to move swiftly to rectify the gaffe. Newham, a London borough, is located more than 70 miles from Ely.

A spokesman for the district council told the Ely Standard: “We are aware of the spelling mistake on the sign and a new replacement street nameplate has been ordered to be put up in the next week.”