BUSINESSES across the district that put advertising “A boards” on public pavements will soon be fined £100 and have their boards removed.

Earlier this year Bradford Council chiefs voted to introduce an outright ban on the boards, after originally saying they would allow businesses to apply for licenses to have their own boards.

Last year a ban was trialled for 12 months in Bradford city centre, Saltaire, Ilkley and Leeds Road.

In July the Council’s decision making Executive decided to extend the ban across the district, and at their next meeting they will hear how the ban will be implemented and policed. The proposed start date for the ban will be April 1 2018, giving businesses time to prepare.

The ban has proved controversial, with businesses claiming such advertisements were important and removing them could harm trade. But it has been welcomed by disabled groups across the district, who say A boards can prove dangerous to disabled and partially sighted people.

A report being presented to Tuesday’s Executive meeting reveals the council will likely opt to deal with businesses who flout the ban through “Community Protection Notices” rather than taking them to court.

It says that if a business is found to have broken the ban twice, the Council will “move to the CPN process.” It adds: “This would allow sufficient evidence to be collected of the wilful contravention of the ban by the business in question.

“When moving to a formal CPN stage of enforcement a business is served notice outlining the contravention which must cease by an authorised officer.

“Failure to comply with this notice permits the Council to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice of not more than £100 for failure to comply with the CPN as well as seize the item causing the contravention.”

Enforcement will be carried out by Council Wardens, Highway Enforcement Officers and Traffic Officers.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “We want to ensure all businesses who may be impacted by the ban have plenty of notice, and using the business rates notification in the New Year is the simplest and most cost effective way of doing that.

“The ban will come into place from April 2018 and in the meantime we are happy to talk to any businesses about different ways of promoting their business.”

The Executive meets at Bradford City Hall at 10.30am on Tuesday.