Referring to your report headlined “Charity night banners confiscated by council”

(Gazette, November 10), it’s good to know that, thanks to the vigilance of Colchester’s head of street services, Dave McManus, the people of Tiptree can sleep soundly in their beds, knowing that the dastardly plans of Brian Olley and the Tolleshunt Knights Village Hall Committee to try raise money for an improved kitchen have been scuppered.

People in Tolleshunt Knights might have used the improved kitchen for, well, making some tea, or warming some food up, or even – shock horror – warming the milk for playgroup children’s bottles.

That sort of behaviour might lead to them talking to each other and even enjoying themselves. So, it must be stopped, right now!

Good to know we have such diligent officials sitting at the ready, waiting to pounce, when charity event publicity, on carefully considered, nondamaging material, is approved by the wrong council.

This is nothing to do with Tolleshunt Knights being over the border in Maldon district by any chance is it?

Anyway, to make sure, Mr McManus has kept the evidence, so with luck no one will know the fundraising event is happening.

What a good use of council time and money. I bet the council tax payers of Colchester are really delighted.

ROY PROCKTER Oak Close Thorpe-le-Soken ...OF course, I sympathise with the organisers of Tolleshunt Knights village hall in losing their banners (Gazette, November 10), taken down by Colchester Council.

However, equally, I think many of us are fed up with seeing our towns and villages festooned with banners and fly-posting at every turn.

Every shop or business seems to think it has a right to bung an Aboard on to the pavement or roadway, creating danger for people with sight difficulties and often forcing people with pushchairs into the road.

Every event, whether for charity or gain, seems to think it can hang a banner anywhere.

As event organisers, we often see out-of-town companies, such as a fireworks display recently, covering the town with garish posters; and yet we, as a local company, cannot put up posters in the same way.

We have had lots of arguments with street services over who can and who cannot put up banners and posters. Over the years I have become convinced that Colchester Borough Council is trying its best to operate an often unclear set of laws and regulations.

While I do not always agree with what it does, I applaud it for trying to do its job under difficult legislation.

I am told, by street services, that the position about A-boards cluttering our streets is down to the county council, who cannot be bothered to do anything about them.

This is despite the fact that they have legislation which could clear them. That is a scandal.

Why should they get away with breaking the law when others are taken to task?

We need to get new legislation to clear current anomalies and tougher action from the county to clear up all the clutter of our streets and byways.

Don Quinn
Snake in the Grass
King Stephen Road