Brighton and Hove boasts some of the finest Regency and Victorian squares and terraces in Britain.

But many of them are spoilt by a proliferation of estate agent boards outside scores of the houses.

Most of the large old buildings are divided into flats and bedsits. It means there can sometimes be several boards on each.

There has been a voluntary agreement for years to keep down the number of boards to one per house in the best areas but this is being widely breached.

Now councillors are looking at making agents apply for planning permission for notices outside the finest houses.

This seems to be a cumbersome and costly procedure. It might be better to ban the boards altogether from the grand areas such as Brunswick Square in Hove and Sussex Square in Kemp Town.

The voluntary code could still apply to other areas with a fresh approach being made to estate agents to take part.

These homes are among the greatest architectural delights of the city and it's a shame to diminish their beauty with a set of unattractive advertising boards.