A COUPLE have been threatened with legal action unless they remove a roadside sign which has helped visitors find their rural pub and guesthouse for the past eight years.

Sandra and Mike Dickinson say they were “mortified” to receive a letter from county council officials ordering them to take down the sign advertising The Trap in North Broomhill near Amble, Northumberland.

The letter – which arrived without any warning or discussion with the authority – said failure to comply would leave the council with no option but to instigate legal proceedings against them.

Mr and Mrs Dickinson, who have run the community pub, restaurant and bed-and-breakfast for nine years, have so far refused to remove the sign.

They are the latest in a growing number of businesses and community organisations in Northumberland which have been told to take down unauthorised advertising signs, under threat of legal action or enforcement.

Since The Journal highlighted the latest purge on roadside signs, the council has announced a review of the policy, saying it is committed to supporting local businesses.

Mr and Mrs Dickinson had the sign professionally made eight years ago and since then it has helped attract trade to their business without any complaints.

Mrs Dickinson said the council letter required the sign to be removed within five days, as it was unauthorised under the Town and Country Planning Act.

She said: “I was mortified about it because it has been there for eight years and no-one has raised any problem until now. Surely there could have been a nicer way of doing this, by the council expressing its concern to us, but nobody had even spoken to us.

“They just sent this letter threatening legal action. I thought it was a personal thing for us, but reading The Journal lately I now realise it’s not. No one would know we were here without that sign and it helps us a lot. Customers have said the sign is what attracted them.”

Meanwhile, former radio presenter Paul Wappat has criticised the council after setting up a new quad bike business on the Blagdon Estate near Cramlington earlier this year. He says he was told to move a roadside advertising sign and banner closer to his Portakabin, and ordered to remove a swing sign which he put up. In addition, Mr Wappat has been asked to pay £2,000 for improvements to the access to his site.

He said: “David Cameron says we need support for new businesses but what I have been through with the county council is absolutely ridiculous. I don’t see how the country is going to recover when we are up against bureaucracy like this.”

Yesterday, Caroline Bruce, corporate director of local services at the council, said: “Unauthorised signage can blight our countryside and compromise highway safety, so we have to enforce any inappropriate signage. We get many complaints from members of the public about unauthorised signs. However, we realise there is a balance between meeting the needs of local businesses and protecting the environment and highway safety. We are reviewing our enforcement policy and this will be complete in the autumn.

“Under certain conditions small signs promoting fairs, fetes and charity events do not have to have consent, but organisers do need to talk to us. We try all the time to work with people to help them achieve what they want.”

Responding to Mr Wappat’s criticisms the council said: “A suitable access to the business was a condition of planning permission and the owner can either carry this work out to the required standard himself, or our highways team can do this and invoice him for the cost.

“He was advised that he would need consent for signs and we are more than happy to provide guidance on this.”