TRADERS are being told to keep streets safe and tidy as part of a clampdown on "hazardous" A boards in Tendring.

Businesses across Tendring are being urged to keep streets safe for pedestrians in shopping areas, including in Frinton's Connaught Avenue.

Tendring Council said the boards can cause problems for the visually impaired, wheelchair users, pushchairs and mobility scooters.

In the run up to the summer season, the authority is now appealing for shopkeepers to ensure there boards don't cause a danger to shoppers following complaints from residents and visitors.

It said there is also a risk that pedestrians could be injured and there could be public liability issues for businesses.

Giles Watling, Tendring Council’s cabinet member for planning and regeneration, said the authority would be taking a common sense approach.

“We fully appreciate that companies and shops use every possible method to promote their business and A boards can be a useful tool,” he said.

“However, they can take up too much of the pavement, or if they are not correctly placed, it makes it difficult for customers and other shoppers, especially the visually impaired.”

In most cases the right place to put the boards is immediately in front of the shop window.

“This is not about playing Big Brother and we do not want to have to lay down prescriptive dos and don’ts – it is about being fair to everyone.

“However, as the guidelines apply to all those boards on public footways, if businesses continue to ignore them, the council does have the powers to remove them and will not hesitate to do so.”

Three years ago the council produced a set of guidelines aimed at striking the right balance. The hope is that businesses will do their bit by sticking to the protocol and consider pedestrians.

The guidelines involve only putting out one A board per premises and also siting them in the correct place.

Frinton town councillor Terry Allen, who is also standing for election to County Hall, added: "There does need to be some control over the quality, amount and size of the boards - and especially the position of them.

"There has been little action taken in the past and shopkeepers have been doing what they want.

"We are not just a shopping area, but also a holiday town and this is people's home - and we want out home to look nice."

The guidelines can be found at tendringdc.gov.uk.

  • The full list of candidates standing for the Frinton and Walton seat in the county council elections are: Terry Allen (Tendring First), Simon Banks (Lib Dem), Susan Clutterbuck (Green), Richard Everett (Ukip), Mark Platt (Con), and Andy White (Lab).