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Police have been called in after Welsh words on village signs in Snowdonia were painted over with black paint.

The Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA) contacted officers after bilingual signs they own near the train station in Betws y Coed, were covered over, leaving the English words intact.

The SNPA have declared the action an “act of vandalism”.

Nic James, from Rhyl, who is learning to speak Welsh, spotted the signs and took photographs to put on social media.

(Image: Daily Post Wales)

Mr James, who said it appeared the black paint had been there for sometime, said: “This sort of things makes me angry.

“The paint used to cover the Welsh didn’t look new to me, as some of it seems to have faded, revealing the original white paint underneath.

“I’m a Welsh learner, but I’m very proud of our language and feel it’s increasingly under attack.”

He added: “If we don’t act, it sends out the wrong message.

“Betws-y-Coed gets a lot of tourism and people visiting the area love seeing and hearing the Welsh language being used so this needs to be sorted out.”

A Snowdonia National Park Authority spokeswoman said it was vital to protect the Welsh language.

She said: “The authority is appalled by this act of vandalism.

"We are committed to providing a Welsh language service of the highest standards and are both shocked and disappointed by the disrespect shown towards the language and public property on this occasion.

(Image: Daily Post Wales)

“The Welsh language is one of the special qualities of the National Park and is a majority language in Snowdonia, spoken by approximately 60 per cent of residents.

“It is the language of many of our vibrant communities and we are dedicated to ensuring that the language continues to thrive in the area.

“The incident has been reported to the North Wales Police and we will be working with the relevant authorities to rectify the damage caused.”

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