by Alan Quick

A CREDITON Town Councillor has become the town’s “poster girl”.

Cllr Heather Sansom is taking a lead on behalf of Crediton Town Council, which has been making great strides in brightening up the town.

Heather has removed more than 275 illegally-placed posters and items of advertising material from lamp posts, buildings and other street furniture in the last few months.

As an example she took down more than 80 posters on the town’s lamp posts for a music festival in Ilfracombe, more than 25 from Crediton Area Family Market, and more than 15 from Sandford Rocks.

She said that she only takes down the event posters which are out-of-date but appealed for people to be responsible and take down their posters after their events have finished and not to “flypost” illegally.

She explained that the Crediton Area Family Market posters were advertising an event in January but the posters had never been taken down.

The Ilfracombe festival was in August, as was Sandford Rocks.

Heather is well-equipped for her “poster girl” role and carries rubber glovers and a scalpel to remove the posters, many of which are stapled to poles or surfaces or stuck with tape.

She said: “I don’t believe people realise the trouble they are causing by putting up posters illegally and not taking them down.

“My efforts are just trying to tidy up the town.”

Crediton Town Clerk, Mrs Clare Dalley, recently said that she was "shocked" at the amount of "flyposting" and asked that people are responsible about taking down posters after events have taken place and do not "flypost" illegally.

"If we all make a concerted effort then we can help make the town look more attractive," she said.

She added: “The council does not object to advertising events but please put up posters in a responsible way and take them down afterwards.

“To help people the council has attached cable ties at some locations and we would encourage people to attach their posters using these cable ties.

“Just hole punch your poster as needed or tie it to the cable ties.

“This will stop the use of staples or tape. The residue from tape leaves a mess.

“What we are trying to do is stop fly-posting having a detrimental impact on the town and improving the environment in which we live or work.”

Mrs Dalley explained that the council recently had to pay for professional cleaning of a “Crediton” welcome sign, which had explicit grafitti marked on it, a cost which Kirtonians are paying for through their council tax.

Other professional cleaning works was also required at other locations in the town.

The town clerk is writing to organisations and groups which fly-post illegally.