LOCALS in Britain's rudest-named village have pleaded with visitors to "keep your hands off our Cocks" after their road signs have been repeatedly stolen and defaced.

Villagers in the sleepy hamlet of Cocks, Cornwall, say they are tired of being the butt of jokes, which includes people graffitiing "fat", "big", "hard" or "little" on signs in the village.

To tackle the problem the local council has resorted to extreme measures, including briefly renaming the hamlet Cox on signs, which sparked complaints from residents who demanded the original spelling was restored.

Eventually they stopped replacing the main sign at the entrance to the village because it was stolen too often.

But another road sign on the A3075 directing people towards Cocks has caused several near miss car crashes as stag and hen dos heading for nearby beaches and resorts pull over for a selfie.

Dave Milton, 65, a retired aircraft engineer who has lived in Cocks for 40 years, said: "Every time they put up a new sign it would disappear within days.

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"A few years ago we were woken up by a loud banging at 3am and it was some lads trying to pull the sign out with a car. They put chains around it and yanked it out and it’s not been replaced since. I doubt they’ll put the sign back any time soon.

“Most of the signs are probably on somebody’s bedroom wall. People seem to want to lay in bed and stare at Cocks.

“But people in Cocks – I think we’re called Cockers – can see the funny side of it. We have a track that gets muddy when it rains which locals call Slippery Dicks.

“But it’s a beautiful place to live with lovely neighbours – and there’s no wife swapping going on, at least that I know of.”

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Local resident Julie Ward, 64, who has lived in the area for her whole life, said: “Three years ago they took the signs away for good but we want them back.

“People would stop and take pictures which caused some issues but I think just put it in a better place.

“There are funny, strange things about living here – if you have to give your address over the phone it always gives people a chuckle but I don’t know any different, I’m just happy living here. The people are lovely and when the weather’s beautiful there’s nowhere better”

While the main sign might be gone there are still plenty of references to the cheeky name throughout the area, including the main hill leading into the village called Cocks Hill, which is also targeted by jokers.

Local resident and tennis coach Steve Luck, 68, added: “One day I was walking down Cocks Hill and it didn’t say Cocks Hill any more, it said Fat Cocks. Somebody had obviously altered the name of our village.

“We moved two-and-a-half years ago and the name didn’t bother us. The best thing is the tranquillity – it’s just such a lovely little oasis.

“People move in and do not move out again, they tend to stay here for years. What has changed recently is they have opened up a new cycle trail that goes through the village and leads to town which has brought a lot more people here and a lot more traffic. 

“We have had people crashing into our hedge because they don’t realise how narrow the roads are around here.”

The true history of how the pretty hamlet was called Cocks is disputed, with some claiming it was actually named after the 17th century Cooke family and was originally 'Cooke's Holding'. 

Others claim it used to be called Country and was a sophisticated inland holiday destination for people living in Perranporth – or that Cox was the original spelling after a well-respected orchard in the area.

A blacksmiths' shop known as 'Cocks Smithy' was recorded there in 1878, and in 1841 the area’s main industry was a bone mill which ground or crushed animal bones for making bone china. 

Like many villages in Cornwall, lots of the homes in Cocks have been snapped up as second homes by visitors wanting a piece of the action.

But locals insist it’s still a tranquil oasis – even though a recently opened cycle path between Perranporth and Goonhaven means many more people are stopping to look at Cocks on their way through.

Carol Wrigg, 57, who lives in Bolingey, on the edge of Cocks, with her five-year-old cockapoo Ozzy, said: "The original spelling was Cocks but a few people locally were a little upset so the parish council decided to change the spelling to Cox to make it less offensive to people.

"In the last couple of years it was changed back because the local people themselves were offended as to why it can't be spelt as it's meant to be spelt so it was changed back to the original spelling.

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“Tourists do find it a bit of a titter but it’s a beautiful place, it’s peaceful, it’s quiet and we are close to the beach while being far enough away to not be disturbed.

“Recently they completed a cyclepath which comes out in Cocks, it’s a lot busier and a lot more people use it now.”

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