Traders have rebelled against a council crackdown on advertising boards obstructing the highway.
Shopkeepers in The Royal Arcade, off Montague Street, Worthing, warned they were already fighting for survival and this might force some of them out of business.
West Sussex County Council said the A boards were unsightly, gave the town centre a downmarket feel and threaten the safety of visually-impaired and disabled people who might trip over them.
It warned that traders faced prosecution if they refused to remove the A boards from nearby Montague Street pedestrian precinct.
But Sarah Orchin, who runs Solarama suntanning salon and Cherry Bliss adult goods store, said the number of people visiting the town centre was already down by 15 per cent year on year.
She said: "We are struggling. It is really important we have some form of advertising at the end of the arcade."
Shseela Thiruchelvam, proprietor of Spiral Jewellery, said: "The council won't help us at all. We are being penalised for being in the arcade."
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
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