Over two weeks recently, we took down hundreds of illegal advertising signs from street lighting columns, guard rails, road signage and buildings on the local road network and in town centres.

“As well as creating a mess in our communities, the advertising often blocks visibility for drivers and pedestrians at junctions, obscures important road signs, and causes damage to property,” said Council Leader Councillor Jim Logue.

“The scale of the problem is clear from the number of illegal signs we collected over two weeks of action.

“We are making it clear to businesses that this will not be tolerated. Any new signs will simply be taken down immediately, so it would be a waste of money for businesses to procure and erect them.

“As a council, we are determined to enhance the image of town centres and the plethora of diverse commercial signs does not contribute to this aspiration.” 

The signs removed include advertising for a range of products and services, including estate agents, shops and takeaways, garages and home repairs as well as flags and bunting.

Any sign erected without permission from the council is an offence under sections 59 and 100 of the Roads (Scotland) Act.