28 July 2004
Council Cracks Down On Illegal Flyposters
Illegal flyposters are to come under the spotlight in the next phase of Bridgend County Borough Council's Clean Up The County campaign.
With more than £2 million spent every year on cleansing services, the authority has already tackled abandoned cars, fly tipping, litter, discarded chewing gum and dog fouling as part of its ongoing initiative to make the county borough a more pleasant place to live.
Now event organisers are being reminded about the severe penalties for flyposting and a mock poster has been printed up to help raise awareness. Featuring a fictional band, The Flyposters, and fake quotes from 'critics', the poster names the Magistrates' Court as a venue and charges an admission fee of £2,500 - the maximum fine for someone convicted of flyposting.
The initiative is already having a positive effect with some organisations agreeing to remove their flyposters in order to avoid further action from the council.
"Basing the warning poster around a fictional band supplies an extra edge needed to reach a wider audience," says Councillor Patricia Hacking, the Cabinet member for Environmental, Planning, Highways and Technical. "The majority of events advertised on flyposters take place outside Bridgend County Borough and the firms who put them up never take them down again - they are simply left until they either fall apart or are pasted over with more posters.
"You end up with several layers of rotting posters which look awful, have a negative effect on local businesses and slowly fall apart until they become litter. And of course, it's the council taxpayer who has to foot the bill for cleaning the mess up. Council cleansing teams regularly remove layers of mouldering posters from boarded-up premises, bus shelters and other locations.
"We don't want to discourage these events, but posters need to be kept on the right side of the law. There are plenty of ways to publicise something without creating a costly, messy nuisance in the local community. Venues, what's-on listings, newspaper and magazine adverts, noticeboards and websites all offer ways of getting coverage for an event without falling foul of the law."
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- Last Updated: 28/07/2004
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