REGARDING the controversy over the ban on 'A-boards' and shop-front displays, one thing that never seems to have been mentioned is who would be liable if a member of the public was involved in an accident connected with one of these.

I doubt the shopkeepers' insurance would cover anything outside the curtilage of his premises, so I suspect the Council would have to pick up the tab on the grounds that it failed to carry out its legal duty to keep the highway free from obstruction.

Since by using the footpath as an extension of their premises shopkeepers, by their own admission, adds tens of thousands of pounds to their turnover, maybe they could rent from the Council part of the highway for, say £2 per square foot per week for displays or a flat fee of £500 per year for 'A' boards.

The Council would benefit from increased revenue, the question of liability would be resolved, and the shopkeepers vastly increase their trade.

Of course, it might just be that shopkeepers only want to use the footpath if it is free of charge.

But why should they use public resources for commercial gain without some compensation to the owners. After all, people have to pay to park on public car parks.

G SMITH, Bold Street, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.