Vandals have graffitied over an Aberteifi road place sign near Machynlleth in a confusing response to the Welsh nationalist practice.

Road signs coming in and out of Machynlleth have long had the anglicised name for Aberteifi, ‘Cardigan’, crossed out with white spray paint.

However, a recent development has been new graffiti crossing out the Welsh name ‘Aberteifi’ with silver spray paint.

Residents have since joked on social media that visitors won’t know how to get to the coastal town “that according to the road sign, no longer exists”.

Residents also suggested the graffiti could be the work of a British nationalist or perhaps a short-sighted Welsh nationalist.

Some residents have posed that the artist simply wanted no one to visit Aberteifi/ Cardigan who doesn’t already know where it is... or who doesn’t know how to use a map.

Graffiting of English place names is not isolated to the Dyfi Valley, however.

Signs in nearby Dolgellau were last year sprayed by Welsh republican group Yr Eryr Wen, crossing out the English name for ‘Trallwng’ - ‘Welshpool’ and further north in Anglesey crossing out the anglicised ‘Porthaethwy’- ‘Menai Bridge’.

Last month a Welsh independence youth group took responsibility for spraypainting English place names on signs across Denbighshire, citing second homes and a ‘failing education system’ as endangering the Welsh language.

In a social media post, the group Mudiad Eryr Wen, wrote: “Deanglicise Wales.

“Imposed and unnecessary English place names have been removed from signage across Sir Ddinbych.

“Decolonise our geography.”

Last year ‘Snowdonia National Park’ was officially returned to the Welsh name Eryri, and the ‘Brecon Beacons’ returned to ‘Bannau Brycheiniog’.

Only this June a Senedd petition reached 12,101 signatures calling for ‘Wales’ to only be known as ‘Cymru’.

The petition states: “Wales is a name imposed on Cymru and is essentially not a Welsh word at all.

“The world knows about Wales because of its English connection since 1282.

“Hardly anyone has heard of Cymru or realises that we have our own unique language and culture which is totally different from the other countries within the United Kingdom.”

Dyfed-Powys Police have been contacted about the vandalism.