TODAY (day of writing, November 27) is Lancashire Day, always a sad day for those of us who regret St Helens being associated with the word ‘Merseyside’.

April 1 next year marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the metropolitan and ceremonial county of Merseyside.

This is a date that continues to be rued by many who prefer to call themselves Lancastrians.

If ever there was a misnomer, Merseyside is it. Large areas of Merseyside, including my hometown of St Helens, lie nowhere near the River Mersey.

The problem is that Merseyside for non-northerners has come to be associated solely with Liverpool, which is annoying for residents of all the other towns in the area.

I am not sure why London-based civil servants chose the term Merseyside in 1974 because the River Mersey originates south of Manchester in Stockport and flows to Liverpool via historical Lancashire towns such as Warrington and Widnes (now in Cheshire).

In fact, based on the river’s route, one could say south Manchester is in Merseyside!

I suggest we mark the 50th anniversary with a name change to avoid continuing confusion and to remind Merseysiders that they are actually Lancastrians!

How about calling the metropolitan council ‘South West Lancashire’?

John Conlon, via email