Above is the Google map of Sprockhovel, a town in Germany, why the connection I can hear you say. Well a new A1 link road was built at a cost of around £32 million, and had no name, so Councillor Laurie Harrison in all his wisdom decided it was only right to name it after the twinned town in Germany, South Kirkby has been twinned with Sprockhoeval for about 30 years, because as Cllr Harrison puts it the 2 towns have a mining connection.
There has been a public outcry over this and objections from the local people in South Kirkby me being one of them, Cllr Harrison has made this a political stunt with no thought of the culture, heritage and traditions that have been past down through the ages, and after the arguments a District Judge was called to determine the outcome what the name should be. That name will now be SPROCKHOEVAL WAY.
All well and good you may say, but lets go down the heritage route first, South Kirkby & South Elmsall are surrounded by rural landscapes and farms, both the towns had a very lucrative mining industry, which were decimated after the famous miner's strike in 1984/5, but still the road could've been named after the mining, there is a Saxon camp site situated in South Kirkby that could've been used.
A soldier from nearby Upton was killed in action in Afghanistan in January 2010 aged just 19 Luke Farmer, he was a popular lad who had many friends, he liked to play rugby, his name would've been more appropiate for the new link road.
This is Councillor Laurie Harrison, a Labour Party stalwart, some say he is not well liked in the community but he keeps on getting elected. This could be his final blunder, lets hope so.
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