A company has been fined a total of £17,800 after it repeatedly refused to take down an illegal sign from its head office.

LF Nugent Groundwork Contractors, based at Antrim House, Handcross, near Haywards Heath, was fined £2,000 by Mid Sussex magistrates earlier this year when it failed to take the sign down after Mid Sussex District Council refused planning permission.

Planning chiefs said the sign was out of character with the surrounding conservation area.

However, the sign remained and the company was fined another £7,800 in July and a further £8,000 this week. The sign has now been taken down.

District councillor Andrew MacNaughton, Cabinet member for environment, said: "Planning constraints are there for a reason and there are no grounds on which any individual or company should be able to get away with ignoring a decision.

"LF Nugent continually ignored the request to remove the signs and in such situations we will not hesitate to take action."

Thursday September 4, 2003