'Don't name it after Prince Charles' - 25,000 sign bridge petition

A member of the Welsh Assembly says there has been a lack of public consultation over naming the Second Severn Bridge after Prince Charles. Photo / Getty Images

An online petition demanding the second severn bridge is not named after Prince Charles has attracted 25,000 signatures.

Scores of people also took to the streets calling for the M4 motorway bridge that connects England and Wales to be named after "someone who has achieved something for our nation".

Protesters at one demonstration in Cardiff held Welsh flags and homemade signs with slogans that included: "No to the Prince of Wales bridge! Let the people decide".

Another called the move: "Pointless expensive propaganda".

The Second Severn Crossing, which is set to be renamed after Prince Charles to mark his 70th birthday year. Photo / Getty Images

Speaking at the protest the Plaid Cymru councillor Keith Parry said the decision to rename the bridge should not have been made unilaterally.

"If the bridge is going to be named there needs to be a consultation," he said.

Neil McEvoy, a member of the Welsh Assembly, also called for the Welsh public to have a say.

"There has been a complete lack of consultation with the people of Wales. It is outrageous the gateway to the country has been renamed and no one knows anything about it," he said.

"People are angry because it signifies how Wales is taken for granted and that has to stop. I have written to the minister asking for him to reconsider because the name change should not go ahead."

In a statement released on April 5 Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said: "I'm delighted to announce that - with the agreement of the Prime Minister and Her Majesty The Queen - the Second Severn Crossing will be renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge.

"The announcement is a fitting tribute to His Royal Highness in a year that sees him mark 60 years as The Prince of Wales and decades of continued, dedicated service to our nation.

"Renaming one of the most iconic landmarks in Wales is a fitting way to formally recognise his commitment and dedication to Wales and the UK as the Prince of Wales."

Mr Cairns has rebuffed criticism of the decision saying the "silent majority" would support renaming the bridge.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that Mr Cairns wrote to First Minister Carwyn Jones last year and no objections were raised.