'Upset' after Brew Bear Coffee forced to remove sign

Rob Robinson, who runs Brew Bear Cafe in Evesham, claimed the council initially approached him over the At Home Euthanasia signs because they were offensive.

However, Wychavon District Council said the signs are adverts, so it would need relevant consent, not just a pavement permit which Mr Robinson applied for his tables and chairs outside.

Mr Robinson owns Evesham Vets, which the sign references, and has now had to remove the signs to avoid a hefty fine.

"I followed the law and wished they had been upfront with the advertising licence," he said.

"The signs have gone, and taking the poles in and out (to divide the space) can take 45 minutes, so there is no barrier in place for the table and chairs.

"I may remove my table and chairs now because people have been using them as a bus stop area, so that might be the final outcome.

"It will have a negative effect on the business—we had one man who had a Domino's pizza and sat and ate his pizza until the bus came.

"That never happened when we had the barriers up."

Wychavon District Council said Brew Bear Coffee has been required to remove the "unauthorised advertisements until advertisement consent has been granted".

Ian Macleod, director of planning and infrastructure for Wychavon District Council, said: “Following the concerns raised, a member of our planning enforcement team visited the site to assess the advertisement and discuss the matter with the owner of the premises.

"The advertisements did not comply with Part 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) regulations and, therefore, did not benefit from deemed consent.

"The regulations only cover the size, position, and illuminance of an advertisement, not the content of the advert or the product or service being advertised.

"We encourage all shop owners to read the Wychavon Shop Front Design Guide and contact our planning department before displaying any advertisement to clarify whether consent is required.”