More than 1,600 readers have backed a weekly newspaper’s bid to get a town square named in honour of comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers.

The Rotherham Advertiser has submitted a 1,607-strong petition to Rotherham Borough Council, urging the authority to dub space in the centre of the Yorkshire town as ‘Chuckle Square’.

The Chuckle Brothers, real-life siblings Barry and Paul Elliott, were born and raised in Rotherham, later going on to find fame with their children’s television programme ChuckleVision.

Barry Elliott died last year aged 73, but surviving brother Paul has backed the Advertiser’s campaign.

Surviving Chuckle Brother Paul, right, has backed the campaign

He said: “It would be an honour out of this world to have the square named after us. Barry would have been so proud.”

The area proposed to become ‘Chuckle Square’ by the Advertiser sits outside a Boots store, midway between Effingham Square and All Saints’ Square, and is expected to be renamed in 2019.

The idea will now be discussed at the next full council meeting before being referred to the authority’s overview and scrutiny management board for consideration.

Advertiser editor Andrew Mosley said: “We knew the council was looking for a suitable name for the square and stepped up with our suggestion.

“We believe the name would give people something to smile about in 2019 and beyond, while also celebrating the Chuckles and tying in well with the Rotherham story.

“Readers have clearly backed the petition and now we look forward to hearing what the council thinks to the idea.”

The Advertiser has asked if it could use its allotted minutes in the chamber to show ChuckleVision on the big screen, but a council source said: “While it would be something that would likely receive a lot of support, the rules sadly don’t allow for it.”