Cork council to begin seizing roadside advertising billboards

Councillors yesterday approved a new by-law allowing council employees to remove billboards if the owner does not comply with a notice to remove the offending vehicle within 24 hours.

The by-law will also apply to cars advertised for sale on the roadside.

It follows a sharp rise in the number of roadside advertising billboards in County Cork, which councillors believe are becoming a hazard.

Tom Stritch, Cork County Council’s director of roads and transportation services, wrote in a report that the adverts “are a distraction to motorists, especially near junctions and roundabouts and constitute traffic hazards and a danger to road users”.