A town’s residents are being driven potty by a debate over its iconic “salt and pepper” water towers.

Residents in Goole, East Yorks, have long called the grade II-listed landmarks “the salt and pepper pots”, but they now cannot agree which is which.

The 141ft red-brick tower and its shorter, wider concrete neighbour, built in 1885 and 1927 respectively, dominate the skyline and are synonymous with the inland port town.

So much so that the local civic society plans to mark Goole’s bi-centenary with memorabilia including a “salt and pepper pot” cruet set.

But it hit a snag when locals were asked for their opinions on which of the ­towers is salt and which pepper.

The group reported a roughly 60-40 split in responses between those who think the thinner, brick structure is the pepper pot and those who believe it is a salt pot.

Chairwoman Margaret Hicks-Clarke, 68, said there appears to be a “generational divide”.

She thinks the red brick structure is a salt pot, while treasurer Stephen Walker, 37, disagrees.

Margaret said: “We’re putting events on for the year and thought it would be nice to have a commemorative cruet set, but in the shape of the water towers.

“But salt and pepper pots have a different number of holes in the top, so we wanted to be definite we have them the right way round. Even our society is split. I think the brick one is salt and the white is pepper, but other members believe it’s the other way round.

“We’re quite evenly divided, but there seems to be a generational split. We’ve had a lot of feedback and younger people say the white one looks like these salt shakers you get in the chip shops and the brick one is like a pepper grinder.”

The society was hoping to go with a majority decision on which pot would be salt and which would be pepper.

But it admitted it would now explore the possibility of pots with one hole in each so people could decide for themselves.

Opinion was divided among the locals. Charis Scott-Holm, 35, said: “The brick one is pepper and the white one is salt. It has to be the colour match. It’s insane to think it would be the other way round.”

Gary Stephenson said: “I think the salt is the white one but someone told me otherwise. The younger generation think salt is the white one.”

Out-of-towner Angela Huzulak, whose partner was born and bred in Goole, said: “I always assumed the white one was salt and darker one was pepper just because of the colour. But now I think about it, if I go on the shape, I would assume the darker one is salt and broader one is pepper.”

Joe Hodgson, lead singer of local rock band Sandra’s Wedding, said: “I think the fat pot is salt and the slim pot is pepper.

“I think that’s purely from an aesthetic standpoint as I’m sure people would argue that’s the wrong way round but the colours just put me in mind of that.

“Luke in the band agrees on fat salt and slim pepper.”

However, the band’s guitarist Jonny, from nearby Castleford, said he always thought they were known as “The Sultan Pepperpots”.

Opinions were split on social media too. One Facebook user argued: “Aside from salt being white and pepper being brown, I’ve always been under the impression that the pepper pot is the brown one because it somewhat resembles a pepper pot.”

But another suggested: “Allegedly ‘salt pot’ was the name of the first pot built pre-1900s – the red brick one – and some 30 years later the second white tower was built as the first tower was no longer enough to meet the town’s demands. So this suggests the white one is the pepper pot.”

The town’s Tory MP Andrew Percy chipped in, saying: “Personally, as a lover of that East Yorkshire delicacy chip spice, I prefer to think of them both as chip shake dispensers.

“I haven’t the foggiest which one is which and never have but in today’s world, I don’t suppose it matters.

“We are just delighted to have them both in the town as they help put us on the map.”

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