I CAN understand how a visitor to our city might confuse the names of North Laine and The Lanes.

The names of two of our best shopping areas are similar, so perhaps people believe “laine” to be the local equivalent of “lane”.

Some Brighton residents invariably get it wrong too, but when a council gets it wrong, there is no excuse.

While on the search for a quirky jacket in North Laine last week, I came across a road sign for “Bond Street Laine”, a tiny passage off Bond Street.

To give some background, there were once five fields surrounding the old town of Brighton. They were called Hilly Laine, Little Laine, West Laine, East Laine and North Laine.

The North Laine of today takes its name from the field that was once situated to the north of old Brighton.

So, to clarify, there are no North Lanes or South Lanes and there is certainly no Bond Street Laine.

Perhaps somebody might tell the council.

Robert Nemeth, Osborne Villas, Hove

[corrected]