Donegal County Council is urging any owners of illegal or unauthorised signs along public roads to remove them as soon as possible as they embark on a new campaign to remove all illegal advertising signs in the area.
“We are keen to support the wonderful community efforts that have taken place over the last number of months” says the Councils Director of Roads & Transportation John McLaughlin, ahead of the tourist season.
“And the issue of illegal signage particularly along public roads including approach roads in our towns and villages has been highlighted by various Tidy Town Committees and community groups. These signs are both unsightly and hazardous for road users and often clutter up both the roads and the footpaths,” added Mr. McLaughlin.
Advertisement signs along a public road requires the approval of the Council in the form of a licence or planning permission. Examples of illegal signs include small advertisement signs normally tied or nailed to existing signs or poles, finger post B&B signs, sandwich board advertisement signs, large billboard signs, large signs mounted on trailers or vans as well as vehicles being advertised for sale along public roads.
Temporary signs for non-commercial local events are permissible subject to certain restrictions and provided they do not impact on road safety. Similar signs for local commercial events can also be permissible subject to restrictions on size, timing, and location.
Where possible, owners will be notified and will be given one month to retrieve their sign and if not collected after that time the signs will be disposed of. The Council will require the person recovering the sign to make a written declaration stating that they are the owner of the sign or they are there on the authority of the owner. In addition the Council will require the person recovering the sign to pay the cost of the removal and storage before being able to recover it.
For more information on how to apply for a license for a road sign, see www.donegalcoco.ie.