Hull firms hit out at A-board ban
Members of the disability equality group say the signs pose a hazard for some people – including the partially-sighted – when walking in the city.
However, shopkeepers have criticised the move, saying it is an attack on struggling businesses.
And one wheelchair-user has said people texting on mobile phones, not looking where they are walking, is a bigger problem than A-boards.
Hull City Council has given shops in the city two weeks to remove their signs from pavements – or face a fine of up to £2,500.
The council said many of the advertising boards are illegally placed on private or council land and are a hazard to the disabled and partially-sighted.
Charles Smith, 36, co-owns Goldenfry, a fish and chip shop in Saville Street, near Queen Victoria Square.
He purchased an A-board two months ago in a bid to save the chippy from flagging sales.
He said: "We are bringing in £2,000 less a week than we were two years ago.
"We brought in the sign so passers-by would notice us because the shop is hidden behind a big tree.
"The council is allowed to block entire streets with markets but I cannot have one sign up. It is terrible."
Jamie Cass, principal enforcement officer for Hull City Council, said: "We are holding an amnesty period to give business owners the chance to be made aware about what they can and cannot do, as we recognise it is particularly difficult for them during this recession.
"The crackdown on illegal A-boards follows an approach from the council's disability equality focus group."
The amnesty begins today and runs until November 30.
After this time, businesses could be given a £75 fixed- penalty notice or prosecuted in court and fined up to £2,500, plus council costs.
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