Stafford Council breaks own rules over ad banner

Stafford Borough Council, which has threatened businesses with prosecution over putting up signs, had erected an advertising banner on a fence at Victoria Park publicising a consultation.

But it had to be removed after the hypocrisy was pointed out and it emerged they had been put up without the necessary planning permission.

The authority's signs were deemed to be too big to be used without permission.

Borough council spokesman Will Conaghan said: "The banners were on the outside of Victoria Park asking people to take part in a consultation about future improvements to the park.

"The council is not exempt from planning regulations. The banners were too big and removed more than six weeks ago.

"If we make a mistake regarding planning rules we will take action to rectify it just as we would expect any other business or organisation to do."

It comes after the council told Stafford's Plumbits business last year to take down 10 signs that had been up for 20 years saying owner Andy Wheeler needed consent for them.

He was then threatened with prosecution.

The letter followed a complaint from solicitors about the size and number of signs at the site and told Mr Wheeler he needed advertisement consent for all 10 signs.

It told Mr Wheeler to submit a retrospective advertisement consent application with a fee of £110 within 14 days or take them down.

The letter also stated: "My enforcement team will continue to monitor your case and formal enforcement action, which may lead to prosecution will be considered should you neither submit an application or remove the unauthorised signs within the specified time period."

Mr Wheeler said: "What has annoyed me the most is that the council didn't come to me directly and speak to me. We had this letter, which was quite threatening out of the blue. The signs have been there 20 years and all of a sudden there is one complaint and now we are a victim.

"We have been here 29 years. I started the business from nothing. But it would be quite easy for me to relocate to Aston Fields as we have a depot there and that would be another business lost in the town centre.

An online petition calling for the signs at the North Walls business to be saved raised more than 100 signatures, with residents calling the council's action 'ridiculous'.