POPPIES on lamp-posts in Prestatyn have been replaced after spelling errors were pointed out.

The poppies - which had the wording 'Least we Forget' instead of 'Lest we forget' - had been placed on posts near Aldi and in the road towards the old doctor's surgery.

The messages had been handwritten.

A wife of a veteran, who asked not to be named, said: "I found it rather concerning and disrespectful.

"I can see that some of the poppies have been removed by the old doctor's surgery now.

"I appreciate that accidents happen but I think they need to learn a lesson from this that everything must be approved beforehand.

"My husband served in the army and was deployed to Iraq during the war in 2003. As you can imagine, being there during such an awful time has had a huge impact on his life. He was quite cross and upset when we saw the poppies but more so that they were not removed straight away."

The resident and her husband, who are both in their 30s, had nothing but praise for The Royal British Legion.

She added: "I think the poppies are a lovely idea but I just wish they were corrected straight away. From what I can see, they have been handwritten on with a marker pen. It wouldn't have taken much to rub the writing off with a bit of nail varnish remover.

"The British Legion is a fantastic organisation and I don't want to bad mouth them.

"I am glad they have started taking the misspelt poppies down."

The spelling mistake was put down to human error.

Andy Green, community fundraiser for Royal British Legion North Wales, explained that it was an "honest mistake" by a volunteer and they were going to be replaced.

Dave King, poppy appeal organiser in Prestatyn, echoed Andy's explanation.

He added: "It is human error. All poppies have been replaced."

Cllr Anton Sampson, mayor of Prestatyn, said: "The lamp-posts have looked fantastic with the poppies on them and I'm glad the error has been addressed which was clearly an unfortunate oversight.

"I've always been a keen supporter of the Royal British Legion and I now think we should take the opportunity to concentrate our thoughts on this coming Sunday and remember all of those that gave their lives."

A spokesperson from Prestatyn Town Council said: "We would like to pass on our thanks and unwavering support to the Royal British Legion and to the volunteers who give their time to support this worthy cause.

"The poppies on the lamp-posts have been a welcome addition to our town over the last few years and the town council were pleased to see the Legion had commemorated fallen soldiers by name on the poppies this year.

"The misspelling of ‘Lest’ was an unfortunate mistake by well-meaning volunteers, many of whom are veterans or family of veterans."