The mistakes include random capital letters, grammar errors, the wrong date and American spellings (Picture: BPM Media)

A plaque made to honour a town’s Covid key workers and volunteers has caused outrage after it was put up with errors on it.

Swindon’s borough council leader even revealed he knew about the ‘sloppy’ and ‘insulting’ mistakes before the installation on Monday.

But David Renard said he wanted to avoid delaying the event, and said the plaque would be replaced.

The plaque reads: ‘This tree has been planted in appreciation of Our Key Workers and Volunteers by the borough. to honour Their Selflessness and Dedication given to the residents and the vulnerable During the Covid Pandemic March 2019.’

Locals were appalled when they first spotted the plaque.

Councillor Mike Davies tweeted a photo saying it was a ‘nice idea but very poorly executed,’ while criticising the American spelling, random capital letters, grammar errors and the wrong date.

‘It’s just a shame because it basically just shows that the council is stretched in all things,’ he said. ‘They didn’t have the resources to do all the checks that were required I think.

‘It seems they could have gone ahead with the event and said what the plaque will be, if they were aware of the errors before the ceremony. This news doesn’t shine a good light on Swindon – it’s just a bit sloppy.’

Councillor David Renard knew about the mistakes before the installation of the plaque (Picture: lga.moderngov.co.uk)

Mr Renard offered his apologies and promised to fix the errors.

He said: ‘Thousands of key workers and volunteers in Swindon have risked their lives and given their best to support and serve others in our town.

‘I offer my sincerest apologies to all the key workers and volunteers that the wording on the plaque had errors on it.

‘As soon as it was spotted prior to the event, a replacement was ordered but could not be made in time for the event and we did not want to postpone the dedication.

‘We will be forever grateful for the role they played throughout the pandemic, which was why councillors unanimously agreed to create a lasting tribute to mark their service.’

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The council leader even knew about the spelling mistakes before the installation.