Belfast Council has rejected a bid to include Ulster Scots in new signs at a city beauty spot, voting to only include English and Irish

The Springfield Dam signs will now only include English and Irish, after a bid to include Ulster Scots was soundly rejected during a vote on the issue on Monday night.

Unionists and Nationalists have repeatedly clashed over the signs, which are to be built along a stretch of a greenway that runs from Falls Park to Springfield Park.

During the meeting, Alliance and the Greens backed the idea of building trilingual signs, with Green councillor Aine Groogan stating that she’s sick of what she called a ‘bunfight’ that happens every time dual-language issues come up.

"It’s madness to continue to come back here and fight over every sign we put up,” she said.

"We’re sitting here arguing over some words on a piece of plastic or metal – have a look at yourselves.”

And Alliance councillor Michael Long said it was ‘strange that we demarcate territory by having different signage along different parts’ of the Forth Meadow Greenway, the full length of which links North Belfast to West Belfast.

But Sinn Fein councillor Ciaran Beattie was adamant there’s no demand for Ulster Scots on signs in the area, which is a Nationalist heartland, while accusing Unionists of trying to hold up signs that were agreed three years ago.

"There has been no request from the Ulster-Scots Agency,” he said. “There has just been delay, delay, delay – every trick in the book as delaying tactics.”