FRUSTRATED Bewdley councillors are petitioning for a hotel in the town with a sign saying it is in Kidderminster to change its name.

The former Ramada Hotel, in Habberley Road, became the Mercure Kidderminster after the previous owner went into administration.

Jupiter Hotel Ltd now owns the Jarvis Hotel group and took over the Bewdley hotel last September.

Bewdley town councillors have set up a petition to get the hotel name changed to the Bewdley Heath Hotel, as it is commonly called by residents.

Mayor Jan Adams said: “[The petition] is requesting the Jupiter Hotel Group that hold the Mercure to acknowledge that it’s in Bewdley.

“We would like it to be called the Bewdley Heath Hotel because local people always call it The Heath. I don’t know why they want to call it the Kidderminster hotel.”

She said 100 people had already signed the petition, adding residents were “frustrated” by the name change.

“People were shocked when it was called Mercure Kidderminster,” said Mrs Adams.

“When they took it over they put in rather large letters, Kidderminster hotel, and that drew everyone’s attention to the fact that it was called the Kidderminster hotel when it does stand in Bewdley.

“It’s the frustration of having a hotel that’s in your patch that’s called as it would be if it was somewhere else.“ She said the petition would be running for about six weeks, adding residents would be “very pleased” if the name of the hotel was changed.

The petition is available for people to sign in the Timmis store, the town hall and the Waggon and Horses Pub.

No-one from Jupiter Hotel Ltd was available to comment.