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All Cornish police stations will have dual language signs in the future even though fewer than 500 people – or 0.1% of the population – say it is their main language.

A sign in English and Cornish is already in place at the new Truro police station in the county’s capital.

And a Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said it is believed to be the only station so far to have a dual-language sign.

But he added: “I believe it is now policy that all our new buildings in Cornwall will have signage in Cornish.

“Existing buildings will have this amendment only when the signs need replacing.”

The spokesman said he believes these signs cost no more than the existing ones.

In the 2011 census, only 557 people claimed Cornish was their main language, almost 100 of whom live outside the county in places like London and neighbouring Devon.

(Image: Paul Watts/ Visit Cornwall)

The Cornish Language Board claims that only 300 people are fluent in Cornish out of a population in the 2011 census of 532,000.

In fact, Polish was the second language in Cornwall with 1,984 people saying it was their mother tongue including 16 on the Isles of Scilly.

In Cornwall alone 464 people said Cornish was their first language.

In Truro the police station reads Truro Police Station and in the same size font beneath it reads Sodhva Greslu Truru.

One observer said: “It seems the PCs have been told to be PC with the old language.”