NORFOLK – A new chapter in the ancient feud between Norfolk and Suffolk unfolded this week as Norfolk County Council unveiled a series of roadside signs at key border crossings, reading: “WARNING TO TOURISTS: DO NOT LAUGH AT THE NATIVES.”
By Our Norfolk Reporter: Ian Bred
The move, described by Norfolk officials as a “necessary step to preserve the dignity of rural life,” has already sparked outrage among Suffolk residents, who claim it is the latest attempt by Norfolk to “overcompensate” for its widely mocked image as the land of slow-moving tractors and indecipherable accents.
The rivalry between the two counties is well-documented, with Norfolk priding itself on its big skies, medieval churches, and what it calls an “unparalleled sense of sensible country living.” Meanwhile, Suffolk styles itself as the more refined cousin, boasting picturesque landscapes, cultural sophistication, and a vague but persistent belief that it is somehow superior.
Strange dialect
A spokesperson for Norfolk County Council defended the signs, stating, “We’ve ‘ad reports of visiting Londoners and the occasional Cambridgeshire interloper snickering at our way of loife. We simply aaaask that people respect local customs, such as the correct pronunciation of ‘hurr’ and the understanding that a ‘quick trip’ often involves an A-road, a livestock delay, and at least one unplanned detour to a faaarm shop.”
Suffolk officials, for their part, have responded with characteristic disdain. “Frankly, we don’t see the need for such signs in Suffolk,” said one local councillor. “But then again, we have fewer reasons to be laughed at.”
Tourists remain bemused by the escalating antics, but all agree on one thing: at least neither county is Cambridgeshire.
