One of the first victims of the clamp-down was motor accessory shop owner Steven Kegg.

He has had a notice leaning against the wall of his shop at the Shackleton Arcade in Church Street for seven years without, he says, a single complaint, and is incensed about what happened and that the council used the long arm of the law to back up its action.

He claims no attempt was made to tell him about the council's intentions so he could remove the board.

Mr Kegg said: "I couldn't believe it. A man wearing a suit arrived with a policeman and said the board was causing an obstruction.

"We had a tug-of-war with it and he told the policeman to arrest me. The board was thrown in the back of his van and he said I would have to pay £50 if I wanted it back.

"No one from the town hall had ever said to me that the board was causing an obstruction.

"I deliberately lean it against the wall so that it will not be in the way. If anyone walks into it they would have to walk into the wall.

"It made me really angry. The council pretends to be supporting local traders and then comes along with this. I have a little shop and am trying to compete against the big boys. They are destroying trade, not helping it."

Highways department head Peter Atkinson said: "As the law stands we have a duty to maintain the highway and that includes removing illegal signs.

"We tried to get round all the borough to explain to people but we may have missed some.

"I have some sympathy with shopkeepers who did not know and if anyone has a grouse we will look into it.

"Clearing the signs is part of a national campaign to give pavements back to pedestrians. It has the backing of the Royal National Institute for the Blind and of the police, who point out that signs on the highway are a distraction to drivers."

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