A PROMINENT new statue of the Bronte sisters was proposed for Haworth at a meeting of the village's parish council.

Lorne Campbell, a member of the public present at a Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury Parish Council, said the village lacks any obvious roadside signage to inform visitors of this literary family's historic presence.

He said: "There's a sign that says Haworth is the world's first Fairtrade village," he added. "But nothing for the Brontes, despite them being such a massive, monumental name with worldwide significance.

"You could drive through the village without seeing anything about them. I think we're missing a trick here."

He argued a highly visible statue of Emily, Anne and Charlotte Bronte at an obvious location in Haworth could address this, adding he understood funding would need to be found.

Mr Campbell cited other towns and cities across the UK which have successfully unveiled statues of famous local personalities.

These include comedian Eric Morecambe, in Morecambe, racing driver Jim Clark in Kilmany, Fife, footballer and manager Brian Clough, in Nottingham, cricketer Fred Trueman, in Skipton and even comic character Desperate Dan in Dundee.

Cllr Tito Arana voiced support for the idea, suggesting the public could get involved in future by voting for their favourite mock-up version of a proposed Brontes statue.

Referring to a lack of distinct signage to signal Haworth's individual identity, he said: "We've got Bradford district council signs, but nothing from the parish council like Keighley Town Council has done."

Parish council chairman Cllr David Mahon said he would get in touch with the Bronte Society to investigate how the statue idea could be progressed.