A marketing agency has been fined for posting illegal adverts near Newcastle’s War Memorial just days before Remembrance Sunday.
The bright blue banners advertising Dacia cars were attached to dozens of benches and seats throughout the city centre last November.
They appeared in Old Eldon Square, Northumberland Street, Grey Street and outside Haymarket Metro station among other places, Newcastle City Council says.
Ambient Media Worldwide Limited pleaded guilty to 12 breaches of the Town and Country Planning Regulations 2007 (control of advertising) and the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
It was fined £1,000 for the charge relating to Old Eldon Square and £500 for the offence relating to Northumberland Street.
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A city council report of the magistrates' court hearing says there were no penalties for the 10 remaining charges, but the company was ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge and costs totalling £404 – a total of £2,004.
Newcastle Magistrates Court heard how a city council regulatory enforcement officer first spotted the plastic banners attached to benches on Northumberland Street on November 5 last year.
They were 4ft by 3ft and attached with metallic eyelets advertising Dacia cars with a web address of the company.
In all 12 banners were placed along the entire length of Northumberland Street and onto Blackett Street.
The banners on Old Eldon Square were placed near to a display of knitted poppies being prepared for Remembrance Sunday marking the 100 anniversary of the end of World War I.
Having established the banners were illegal, the officer photographed and then removed them but then found more the following day.
The council wrote to Renault UK Ltd, which owns Dacia, and received a response advising that a company named Talon Outdoor Limited was responsible for overseeing the placing of the adverts.
The council wrote to Talon but were told that Ambient Worldwide Media Limited were responsible for placing the adverts.
In a letter to the council, Ambient accepted full responsibility for placing the banners.
In mitigation Ambient told the court that they had no say in the placing of the adverts but fully accepted they should not have placed them.
After the hearing, director of operations and regulatory services, Christine Herriot, said: “The city council recently launched a city-wide anti-litter campaign which highlighted the cost to the council taxpayer of clearing up litter, fly-tipping and illegal advertising such as this.
“It’s not acceptable when companies use our streets to campaign or promote in this way, and as an authority we will not hesitate to prosecute companies who advertise illegally.
"That this should happen so close to the city’s War Memorial is particularly distasteful.
“If anyone sees persistent illegal advertising such as this they can contact the council on 0191 2787878.”
Magistrates ordered the company to pay £1,000 per month starting within 28 days.
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