An event company that was fined earlier this year for illegally promoting a circus in Liverpool - has been prosecuted again.
Just two weeks after being ordered to pay £1,500 in January, Exchange Events Ltd was again charged with illegally promoting Gandeys travelling circus. The Congleton-based company, which had extensively plastered dozens of posters and signs across the city, had even been found to be using the same locations as in the previous offence last Autumn.
This case was brought to Liverpool Magistrates Court after evidence was collated by Liverpool Street Scene Services Ltd, which delivers refuse services for Liverpool City Council. Neville Wilson, the director of Exchange Events Ltd, attended court and entered an immediate guilty plea on behalf of the company. Mr. Wilson explained he had missed a period of work after suffering from a period of ill health, which required hospitalisation earlier this year.
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He accepted he had not been monitoring matters as closely as he should have been but added that he had already warned his publicity manager not to fly post following January’s hearing. He said he had been given assurances that the posters had been removed however he accepted, by way of his plea, that the posters were not removed and that this was ultimately his responsibility as the director.
Exchange Events Ltd was fined £2,000 under section 224(3) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The maximum fine of £2,500 was reduced to take account of the early guilty plea and the mitigation provided. It will also pay a victim surcharge of £190 and a contribution of £140 towards prosecution costs. The company has a total of £2,340 to repay within 28 days.
Councillor Abdul Qadir, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “Removing flyposting of this magnitude costs time and money that the city council can ill afford.
“There’s no excuse for this type of behaviour and we simply won’t tolerate it. To flypost once is bad, but to do so again just weeks after being fined is outrageous. I hope for their sake there’s no third time for this company, because we’ll prosecute again. No question.
"I want everyone to know that illegal flyers and posters will be removed and Liverpool City Council will seek to prosecute at every opportunity. I also want to thank the officers involved in helping to bring this case to court.”
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