MANY Abergavenny locals will be familiar with Three Cocks.

The sleepy backwater in neighbouring Powys has a historic ambience and name to match.

Yet! For some bizarre reason, the bureaucratic bots at British Cycling decided to scratch the name of the lovely village from their official online listings.

Their website’s details for the Junior Race of South Wales held over the August Bank Holiday weekend replaces the second half of the village’s name with asterisks.

British Cycling has been contacted by our sister paper, the Brecon and Radnor Express for comment.

However, the governing body has failed to offer any adequate explanation why they took this unfathomable decision.

Are they concerned that the very mention of the word “cocks” may trigger someone’s sensibilities?

The UK is an abundant treasure trove of risqué place names.

Bell End, Bitchfield, and Butthole Lane are all actual places. As are Cockermouth, Cocks, Fanny Hands Lane, Fingeringhoe, Penistone, and of course, Great Cockup in the picturesque Lake District.

Sticks and stones may break our bones but the UK’s colourful place names are something we should be proud of.

The historic heritage of places such as Three Cocks deserves better than to be castrated by a censoring hand.

A Powys resident who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of becoming the butt of online jokes explained, “Three Cocks should not take this snub lying down. For British Cycling to censor its name implies there’s something lewd and embarrassing about Three Cocks.

“In my experience, it’s not the mouth it comes from but the mind it goes into that’s usually the problem.

“To avoid future controversy, I would suggest that British Cycling would be wise to revert to the original name for Three Cocks and list it on their website as Aberllynfi!”