Update at noon

NEWS that Sixways island is to be renamed 7-ways has turned out to be something of an exaggeration.

Eagle eyed readers may have noticed that Lila Froop, the consultant responsible for the rebrand was an anagram of April Fool.

They may have been suspicious of local resident Poppy Cox too.

Thanks to all who played along.

A NEW name has been revealed for Sixways roundabout in Worcester.

The island will now be dubbed 7-ways in recognition of a forgotten footpath which has been re-discovered running alongside the A449.

Consultants Sign Design were asked to dream up a new name when a survey showed drivers were confusing the roundabout with Six Ways in Erdington, Birmingham.

The island has traditionally had six ways – the A449, M5 north, M5 south, A4440, the A4538 to Martin Hussingtree and the A4538 to Evesham.

But an overgrown public right of way will now be cleared and new signage installed to mark the extra way.

Lila Froop, the company’s creative director, said: “Crazy as it sounds, we kicked off this project by sending one of our researchers out with a pair of wellies.

"She found the footpath and then spent three days poring over old maps of the area before she realised it was a public right of way.

“That was our eureka moment.”

“We pride ourselves on following the KISS principle for our work. You know, 'Keep it Simple, Stupid'.

“So we went for the number seven, but have given it a bit of a twist by using the numeral in the design, rather than the word.

“We did have one other suggestion, which was SevernWays, to tie in with the name of the local river, but we decided that was a bit silly.”

Miss Froop declined to reveal how much the rebrand has cost but said the company's consultancy fee alone ran to a “five figure sum.”

“I think we’re worth it,” she added.

However, 19-year-old Poppy Cox, who lives in nearby Warndon Villages, said: “7-ways? I literally cannot believe I’m hearing this.

"And they've charged how much? What a waste of time.

“I could have come up with that idea myself.”