A DISGRUNTLED golf club director has hit out at the council after they insisted he removes advertising banners from the entrance.

Phil McKie from Blundells Hill Golf Club says St Helens Council has demanded the removal of the banners within 14 days or face a fine – despite similar ones having been in place there over the course of two decades.

He said: “The letter came out of the blue. We have had signs up for 20 years. They are said to be an ‘inappropriate development’. But if we take them down there won’t be a reduction in the business rates.

“Our turnover has gone down considerably since 2008. People’s habits have been changing. Also Blundells Lane is an eyesore. It is meant to be cleaned by the council, but they only come out once a year to brush the road, there is constant fly-tipping.

“We are trying to convince people that we are open to the public. We are not doing anything detrimental to the green belt. We are benefiting the wildlife and have three families of buzzards on our land.

“We have never been told in the past we need planning permission. If we don’t tell people we have events on such as quiz nights they will just drive past. We have to diversify but the council is not helping us at all.”

A St Helens Council spokesman responded: “Any signs that appear on greenbelt land require advertising consent and none of the signs at Blundells Hill have this.

“The club has been steadily adding signs around the entrance to the extent that the site now has a solid fixed double-sided illuminated sign, four wide freestanding banners at the entrance and a large freestanding sign in a field.

“We are discussing a way forward with the owners and are confident that we will be able to help devise a more appropriate strategy for advertising the business.”