A ROW has broken out over whether residents are pronouncing the name of their new estate correctly.

The name of Weogoran Park was chosen as a nod to the city's historical heritage as it's believed to be an early version of Worcester.

Residents we spoke to at the estate on Whittington Road say they all pronounce it Weogoran - with a W.

But Jan Jarvis, of Spetchley Road Residents’ Association, says it should be pronounced with a ‘V’ instead.

She argues this is because ‘W’ is a recently invented letter, although the council and the estate developer say the current W pronunciation is right.

Ms Jarvis said: “It makes me so angry when they choose names like that. They should spell it properly. It should be with a ‘V’ so people can pronounce it. There’s no respect for language.”

James Dinn, archaeological officer for Worcester City Council, said his team had not be given a pronunciation guide.

He believes while the ‘V’ pronunciation may have previously ruled supreme, the ‘W’ variant is now probably correct.

Dave Smith, managing director at St. Modwen Homes, said: “Weogoran was part of the original name given to Worcester by the Anglo Saxons, meaning ‘people of the winding river’, and in honour of the city’s historical heritage it seemed an appropriate name for the development.” He said he was not aware of alternative pronunciations. The Roman name for Worcester was ‘Vigornia’, as there is no ‘W’ in the Latin language.