BLACKBURN Council's implementation of the ban on A-frames and wares outside shops has been dictatorial with no give and take.

We have received innumerable complaints during the past two months from confused traders being in consternation over their livelihoods.

The law has to be upheld, but not to the detriment of job losses and businesses closing.

Rather than making trading difficult on the in roads into town centres, we should encourage it by common sense use of A-frames and pavement wares, which give a town its flavour and colour.

Many long-established shops have already closed down. Unless help is given soon, traders in the town centres will close en masse, leaving just the shopping centre in Blackburn.

Millions of pounds have been spent in Blackburn and Darwen on regeneration to attract out-of-town consumers for shopping and combat the threat from out-of-town retail parks. New shoppers are not familiar with the location of shops away from the centre and need the attraction of pavement A-frame and wares to tempt them.

We believe the amount paid in compensation for injuries due to A-frames and pavement wares is crucial to the debate. We understand that figures are not available. But we are not aware of any claims for injuries over the years.

Blind people have lost their marker points with the eradication of pavement wares. We have seen first-hand, that they find a bollard, waste bin or dustbin left in the middle of a pavement more an obstacle than A-frames or pavement wares.

A-frames are now banned from shop frontages in pedestrianised streets where consumers walk down the middle due to the bollards placed along them.

The numbers of traders losing income due to the blanket banning of A-frames and pavement wares is being compiled by the Chamber for Jack Straw MP. We ask that such traders contact us by letter or telephone (number 55493).

We are still pursuing a commonsense, case-by-case application of the law before it is too late and the unique traders of the borough are gone forever.

DAVID COTTAM (President), Blackburn and District Chamber of Trade.

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