The Welsh Government will discuss a petition calling for a stop on Welsh place names being changed into English, after it smashed the 5,000 signature target.

More than 15,000 people have backed a campaign which claims indigenous place and house names are gradually being eroded, which will now be discussed by the Senedd’s Petitions Committee.

The petition states that “little by little, the country is losing its heritage” and “this must be stopped for the sake of future generations”.

The issue has also been highlighted by comedian Tudur Owen who has become vocal about the issue.

“Replacing Welsh place names with English ones just because some people can’t pronounce them or they just don’t like the sound of them is not ok,” he said.

Referring to Llyn Bochlwyd in Snowdonia, which has now started being referred to as ’Lake Australia’ due to its outline resembling the shape of the continent, he added: “We have a choice, do we keep these names and stories and tell them to the generations that will inhabit this land after we’re gone, or do we let them be deleted because they’re difficult to pronounce?”

This is not the first time that the topic has hit the headlines however, with efforts in 2015 to establish a statutory register of certain names which should be recorded and then protected.