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A company which persistently attached an advertising sign along a busy Babergh road – in spite of repeated requests for its permanent removal as no consent had been granted – has been fined £500 and ordered to pay £330 in costs.
Babergh District Council’s prosecution against Williams Tyre and Exhaust Services Ltd. of Boss Hall Industrial Estate was heard yesterday (April 28th) at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court.
Babergh took the action as not only was the sign placed without the necessary consent, it was both unsightly and a potential distraction to drivers near to the busy A14 slip road.
Throughout 2007 the owner of the Williams Tyre advertisement would occasionally remove his three–metre long hoarding at the request of Babergh officers – only to replace it a short time afterwards.
“It started to become a cat and mouse game – which we had to bring it to an end” explained Cate Buck, Babergh’s Environmental Protection Officer. “We do not resort to court action lightly, but felt that in this case given the persistent non-compliance with Advertisement Regulations, Babergh had no alternative but to prosecute”.
“We are pleased with the resulting outcome both because we believe it is the right decision in this case and because it sends a clear message to other potential offenders that we will not hesitate to take robust action against them when negotiations fail”
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