A stunned dentist has revealed he has been fined for putting up a banner welcoming more patients.
Mohammed Ghafoor, 42, took over Purple Dental Care on Gatcombe Road, Hartcliffe, six months ago.
But Dr Ghafoor was instructed to pay £150 for hanging a banner on a nearby roadside advertising that his practice was accepting new NHS patients.
Describing the letter from Bristol City Council as “absolutely ridiculous”, Dr Ghafoor said: “I’m getting patients every day who can’t access dentists and I thought I’m doing something important for the local community and then the council throws this in my face.”
Dr Ghafoor said the 6x4-feet banner had been attached to railings on Church Road, about half a mile from his practice, for around two weeks when he received the council’s letter.
The letter, dated August 6, told Dr Ghafoor he had been guilty of graffiti and flyposting offences.
The dentist said it instructed him to pay £150 or face a summons with additional costs of £2,500 and a criminal conviction.
After phoning the local authority to complain, Dr Ghafoor was left feeling he should bite the bullet and stump up the money - but he remains upset about what he views as an unfair punishment.
“I’ve told some of my patients about it and they were absolutely disgusted,” said Dr Ghafoor, who explained why he ordered the banner in the first place.
“It was just to inform the local community that we’re accepting new NHS patients, because nowhere is accepting new patients,” he said.
He added: “I want to really target the local community because they’ve been without a dentist for six months now and when they’re walking in they’ve had abscesses and some have needed to be hospitalised.
“We’re referring kids every week to the hospital because of the amount of neglect of this community so we want to pick up kids before they get to the hospital.”
Bristol City Council was contacted for comment.
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