PRESTATYN’S mayor has hit out at the makers of a TV game show after a local contestant was told to say she came from Birmingham because viewers in the south of England might not have heard of the town.

Cllr Gerry Frobisher has described the directive issued to quiz show veteran Helen Burton-Margett, who took part in the ITV show, Tipping Point, as “insulting”.

Cllr Frobisher said: “It’s shocking. Why wouldn’t they want to encourage Mrs Burton-Margett to say she’s from the town?

“It’s insulting for a show aired nationwide to relegate the importance of our town and amazing that the producers didn’t think anyone would recognise it.

”Thousands of people from all over the come on holiday to Prestatyn every year.”

Ironically, Helen, who is originally from Birmingham and first moved to North Wales in 1985, lives in Gwespyr, but was planning to say “Prestatyn” because she thought it unlikely the TV audience would have heard of the village near to the resort.

She said: “They told me to say I was from Birmingham for two reasons: one, because the audience might not know where Prestatyn is and two, they said they tried to have a good spread of people from all over the country for the show.”

Her fellow contestants on the show, which was filmed in London, were from Bradford, Surrey and London.

Helen, who owns Prestatyn Hair Boutique and is a TV quiz show veteran, added: “It’s a shame because it would have mixed it up even more to have someone who’s from Wales and I do class myself as honorary Welsh.”

Fortunately her appearance - exiting on a ‘Tipping Point’ of £750 last Wednesday– was still warmly received by her regular customers at the her salon and her family.

The 46-year-old said:“No one has said anything untoward, but one of my ladies did say it was such a shame that I couldn’t say I was from Prestatyn - especially with me having a business in the area.”

“We’re all very proud of Prestatyn and the surrounding areas.”

The makers of Tipping Point have been approached for comment.

[Photo: Prestatyn’s Helen Burton-Margett on ITV’s Tipping Point: The ITV Hub]