Neighbours not amused by developers' joke name

Neighbours of a planned housing development reacted angrily to a joke by developers that they would call the estate a rude name after objections to the proposals.

Plans to demolish an Edwardian home in Old Bath Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and replace it with six townhouses were agreed by Cheltenham Borough Council this week.

Kevin and Susan O'Gorman, the owners, joked that they might give the development the name Pogue Muhone Court, claiming the name refers to their family village in Ireland. The Irish folk band The Pogues were founded in 1982 as Pogue Mahone, an anglicisation of the Gaelic pog mo thoin, meaning "kiss my arse".

Caroline Donnelly, 48, who has lived next door to the O'Gorman family for 13 years, told the Gloucestershire Echo: "We found out what it meant when my husband and I were on the internet trying to find this village. We were shocked. We've managed to conduct our campaign in an adult way. But this is just completely rude."

Mr O'Gorman, a solicitor, said he suggested the phrase in jest in reaction to objections to the development, but neighbours took it seriously.

Work on the development has not yet begun and Mr O'Gorman said there are no plans to erect a sign bearing the name. He said: "I was asked to make a comment by the local newspaper after the application was approved and I said we might call it Pogue Muhone Court after my family village in Ireland, which anyone will know is nonsense, and anyone who knows The Pogues will know it.

"My mother used to say it in our house all the time, it usually means don't take yourself too seriously."