RED-FACED council officials have apologised after mis-spelling the word grammar on a road sign - outside a school.

Stockton Borough Council workers were called back to Grammar School Lane, home of Yarm Preparatory School, to replace a recently-erected and incorrectly spelt sign.

The sign, which read Grammer School Lane, had been in place since the end of last week.

But sharp-eyed youngsters at the private school - for children aged between four and 11 - spotted the mistake.

Headteacher Gillian Taylor said: "Pupils and staff at the preparatory school did a double take when they saw the sign. Calendars were checked to ensure it wasn't April 1st.

"We were assured, however, that the children spotted the error immediately, and I am sure, should the council require any spelling assistance in the future, that the pupils would only be too happy to proof read them."

A council spokesman said: "Our order for the sign was correct but the manufacturer slipped up on the spelling.

"We do check signs before they go up, but they arrive in large batches and, unfortunately, this one slipped through the net."

One woman, who has a six-year-old daughter at the school, said: "Everybody has been talking about it. There has been a bit of a spot-the-difference game for parents and children tonight.

"Before that it was spot the deliberate mistake, and there would be some very red faces if they knew how young some of the children were who still managed to get it right."

Craig Atkinson, managing director of sign manufacturer Select Marketing, of Billingham, said: "We produce several thousand signs a year on behalf of a number of local authorities and this has never happened before.

"We apologise to all concerned and are putting procedures in place to make sure it doesn't happen again."