FURIOUS traders hit out today after more than 50 street advertising boards were seized by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.

Armed with bolt-cutters, a team of council workers yesterday marched through Weymouth spotting illegal signs' and throwing them into a white van.

Now traders have been told they must pay a £75 fine plus a storage fee of £5 a day.

Robert Dipple, boss of Maguire's fish and chip shop in St Edmund Street, said: "I've had three taken away an A-board from outside the shop, a board from the harbour and another from outside the Crown Hotel.

"To get at the one at the harbour they cut my chain and I class that as criminal damage. I've been to see my solicitor and I'm going to sue.

"Sometimes it seems that all this council is destroy business and charge a fortune in rates."

Keith Treggiden, general manager of Rendezvous nightclub, added: "It's stealing, that's what it is. And they've even had the cheek to demand a fee to have it removed.

"It's disgusting, especially with the amount of business rates we pay.

"My sign was up against a lamp post so unless you can walk through a lamp post, it was hardly hindering anyone's right of way."

Traders from around the town centre hit out at the swoop on the signs. They say the A-boards are vital to pull in trade.

Richard Palmer, boss of Richie's Caf in Maiden Street, said: "I'm appalled. I've had a board from St Alban Street taken.

"What's going on? I'm not even paying myself a wage at the moment and it's a struggle.

"All I was trying to do was attract a bit of business off the main streets. What is this council doing to promote small businesses?"

Alison Lammiman, of The Doggie Shop in Maiden Street, had her sign taken from St Alban Street.

She said: "You have to advertise otherwise people don't know you're here. Even our regular customers say they see the sign and come in."

But the borough council has defended its actions. Alan Muncaster, principal engineer for the council's environmental services unit, said: "The A-boards have been removed as a response to a number of complaints from organisations and charities representing disabled people.

"They are also a concern in terms of being a health and safety risk to the public and cause an unlawful obstruction of the public highway.

"Businesses whose boards have been removed were notified in April by letter about the tightening up of regulations.

The letter states that the council will be introducing a tolerance policy in terms of A-boards and listed clearly what was acceptable in terms of A-board display and what was not.

"Anyone whose boards have been removed have not complied to these regulations."