Mistake on sign would direct emergency responders to Poland

Tuesday, 6 September 2022 13:34

Use of plural 'frocks' means What3Words won't work

The Department of Environment Food and Agriculture has admitted a mistake has been made on new signage in Laxey.

The sign for Laxey Glen playground contains keywords for the map software What3words.

What3words is a geocode system designed to identify any location in the world with a resolution of about three metres.

By assigning three words to any given plot of land, it can help emergency services pinpoint a specific location when called.

However, because of a spelling mistake on the new sign, the three words provided would send responders to a village in northern Poland.

The words "frock:cracks:paddock" have been assigned to Laxey Glen playground, but they are listed on the sign as "frocks:cracks:paddock".

This combination is assigned to Bojano - a village in the Pomerania Province of Poland.

In a statement DEFA said: "The department is aware of the issue.

"It is a simple mistake which will be corrected this week."

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