ANGRY business owners in Lowestoft claim they have lost custom after roadside advertising signs were removed by council contractors.

About 15 signs and banners, worth thousands of pounds, disappeared from a grass verge at the top of Cooke Road and Harvest Drive on South Lowestoft Industrial Estate.

They had been taken away by Waveney Norse – which says they constitute “flyposting”.

Keith Swatman, owner of KAS Computers in Cooke Road, said: “We have been here five years and haven’t had any problems before. They removed all the signs at the top of the road without any warning.

“We feel that a lot of people see those signs and come to our business as there is not a lot at the top of the road to say what is actually on the estate. The reason we have been given for their removal is that this is ‘flyposting’ – but I can’t see how an A-board is flyposting.”

Similar problems were experienced by World of Fish in Cooke Road, run by Alan Snow and his son Bryan.

Waveney District Council confirmed the signs and banners had been removed by Waveney Norse. A spokesman said: “The signs are classed as flyposting, unless they have specific planning permission.

“The signs are taken away and stored at Rotterdam Road. This is the normal process for removal of signs.”

Andy Sutherland, who owns Lowestoft Auto Electrical in Cooke Close, said: “All the businesses are struggling, yet there is no investment and the signpost at the top of the road is all wrong, out of date and you can’t read it or see the names as you drive past.

“Most of the businesses on the estate recognise that the council don’t promote us at all.”