BLACKBURN with Darwen Council has suffered another humiliating defeat in the shambolic A-boards saga.

The latest prosecution, against second-hand dealer Nazir Ahmed Jogee, was withdrawn because the council's main prosecution witness is on long term sick leave.

Out of five cases brought by the council only one has succeeded, and that was because the trader involved pleaded guilty by letter.

On the four other occasions Blackburn with Darwen Council has been left with egg on its face.

Rita Wakeley, co-ordinator of Blackburn and District Chamber of Trade, has called on the council to drop the battle of the A-boards following the latest fiasco.

We agree. Are the council really going to continue with this farce?

Their track record since launching the barmy crusade is abysmal.

Two cases were withdrawn at the first hearing because the wrong person was summonsed to court and last month the case against a motor cycle dealer was dismissed because no-one from Blackburn with Darwen Council was available to prosecute. Even before they embarked on their trail of disastrous prosecutions, the council looked silly.

Nobody would have argued over prosecutions where traders were causing genuine obstructions. It does happen.

Where there is a danger to the public, local councils have a duty to warn traders and, if no action is taken, to prosecute.

But the council embarked on what amounted to a crusade.

It involved everything from A-boards to tables of second-hand books.

Vegetable displays outside shops, the like of which had been around for generations, were suddenly deemed to be a danger to the public.

Unobtrusive A-boards were seen as sinister traps, lurking to upend unsuspecting pedestrians - yet council placed obstructions in the middle of footpaths, such as bollards, litter bins and statues, were deemed to be acceptable creating public ridicule.

The campaign has cost time and money and the council would do well to call off their A-board snoopers before they back themselves into any more corners.

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