A SMALL business owner has spoken of his outrage at being fined for displaying signage outside his premises.
Chris Field, who owns Car Care Car Sales in Chapman Street, east Hull, received a letter from the city council on June 12, giving notice of a £75 fine for displaying his A-board sign outside his premises the previous day.
Changes to regulations, which came into effect on February 1, mean businesses displaying signs on public land must gain permission from the council, or face a written warning.
If business owners do not remove the signs after the warning, the council can issue a fine.
Mr Field said he is angry at being issued with a fine for an offence committed just a day before.
He said: "I would have expected someone to come and speak to me to let me know I was committing an offence, rather than just serving me with a fine.
"They haven't even given me the right to an appeal, which is completely unfair because I haven't even had a chance to comply with the law, considering I was unaware of the changes in the first place and I had not received a warning letter beforehand.
"I'm in the middle of an industrial estate with hardly anyone walking down the pavement, so it isn't causing an issue for passers-by or harming anyone."
Mr Field had been displaying his signs on the pavement of Chapman Street for six years before the changes came into effect.
He said: "When I rang up Hull City Council, they told me I should have kept up to date with their laws on their website, but I am computer illiterate so I can't keep up to date.
"If they had come and spoken to me to make me aware I was committing an offence, I would have happily complied with the law and moved it until I had permission.
"If this is how they treat all small businesses that are also unaware about the changes, by giving them a fine without warning, then it will have an impact on their business as it is a lot of money for some and the A-boards are important for passing trade."
Despite Mr Field's claims, Hull City Council said it had issued Mr Field a warning letter in February for the same offence.
Justine Mortimer, neighbourhood nuisance manager, said: "We received a complaint in February from an anonymous source complaining about the placing of the A-board as it was blocking the footpath.
"We wrote to the business owner advising them of the unsafe position, legislation and possible implications of leaving the A-board at this location.
"Earlier this month, we received a further anonymous complaint regarding the very same A-board. The business owner failed to follow the advice by the council and, as a last resort, we issued a fixed penalty notice."
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