Businesses face action over advert boards

TRADERS in a North Yorkshire market town face prosecution unless they take signs advertising their business off footpaths.

Business leaders in Pickering say the move by North Yorkshire County Council highways department could have a devastating effect on their livelihoods.

Tracy Bush, who runs Poppies Cafe in Burgate, said: "We have been told our signs are illegal and a potential danger but we don't agree. They are vital to our businesses, especially those in the side streets which rely on the boards to attract customers."

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Having taken over the long- established tea shop only three months ago, she added: "Locals use the boards as a sign that we are open, and tourists are able to spot us from the Market Place.

"We don't know of anyone who has walked into one of the boards or had an accident with one, and many of them are attractive well-painted signs which add to the street scene."

But former Town Mayor, Coun Julie Hepworth, a long-running campaigner against the advertising boards said they made access along Pickering's footpaths hazardous for partially-sighted people, wheelchair users, and mothers with prams or buggies.

"In some cases pedestrians have to step into the road to avoid the boards which is particularly hazardous for children. I want to see Pickering's businesses thrive, but we have to be concerned at the same time about pedestrian safety," she added.

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Letters have been sent to all Pickering traders telling them not to put boards on the pavement or on verges because of potential problems for pedestrians.

If the boards are displayed they are likely to be removed by the council's environmental services, a council spokesman said. Persistent offenders face prosecution.