Recent instances of unauthorised flyposting in the borough have prompted a warning about both the illegal nature and the dangers that flyposting causes.
Following a resident report on the council website of flyposting, and investigations from Bromley Council Enviro-crime officers, a number of advertising and promotional signage for a variety of companies and independent operations have been removed from a number of locations across the borough, with some signs placed in such a way that they were more challenging to remove.
Recently, over 160 signs over a three day period were removed from two sites near Bromley High Street, where ladders were required to remove the flyposting, given that the flypost was fixed to lamp post approximately 6 metres (or 20 feet) up the lamp column. Some of this flyposting was removed from near a zebra crossing, which would distract drivers and road users on the approach to the crossing, causing danger. Whilst the investigation is continuing, residents and visitors are being encouraged to report further flyposting in support of its removal, by visiting www.bromley.gov.uk/flyposting.
Councillor Angela Page, Executive Councillor for Public Protection and Enforcement says says ‘Flyposting is not just unsightly but can also damage the street furniture it is often attached to and can also be downright dangerous as it will distract road users. Any flyposting is wrong, and we will remove it and investigate who may have erected it but the recent proliferation of flyposting is concerning and if residents do come across it, please report it so we can take action.”
Flyposting is defined as ‘the display of advertising material on buildings and street furniture without the consent of the owner’. Any such instances of flyposting are then liable to a fixed penalty notice of £100 or prosecution under Section 224 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The maximum penalty on conviction for flyposting offence is £2,500, and in the case of a continuing offence, a further daily fine of up to £250 can be imposed until the signage is removed.
Ends
For media enquiries, please contact Justin Brown, Public Affairs Officer, on 020 8461 7872 or email justin.brown@bromley.gov.uk.