A JOINT offensive is to target businesses who blight Nuneaton and Bedworth with illegal fly-posting.
The borough council and and Warwickshire County Council have joined forces in an attempt to stamp out the problem.
Until now, the county council as the highways authority has been responsible for removing the illegal advertisements.
But councillor Dennis Harvey is to be asked to rubber stamp proposals to allow the borough council the same, sweeping powers to take down the posters.
A joint working party was set up at the beginning of the year to tackle what is a growing problem.
Unsightly, illegal advertising is appearing at an alarming rate throughout the borough.
On average, the county council removes 20 signs from the streets of Nuneaton and Bedworth each month, but on one occasion more than 100 were taken down by one officer in one afternoon.
A report from the working group which comprises of county council leader Cllr Alan Farnell, Cllr Dennis Harvey and borough councillors Jeff Clarke and Bill Sheppard, said that a particular problem is being caused by placards, signs and posters attached to street furniture, such as railings, lamp posts, trees and traffic signs.
Not only do they distract drivers, they are a safety hazard if they come loose, look unsightly and frustrate the many businesses in the borough who advertise within the law.
Removing the unauthorised signs will send out a message to those businesses who do not advertise within the law to find alternative ways of doing so.
The report also states that the removal rates and speed of removal will be much improved if borough council officers were able to help, rather than notify the county that the problem is affecting a particular area or street.
