A local authority has clamped down on what it describes as illegal advertising boards, fining agencies thousands of pounds in the process. 

Student lettings firm Unipad Ltd has been prosecuted by Leicester council for displaying illegal advertisements at premises in the city – another company, Dexterford Ltd, was also fined as it owned one of the premises on which some advertisements were placed.

Paresh Parmar, director of Dexterford Ltd, and Madhu Parmar, a director of Unipad, failed to attend the magistrates’ court hearing according to the Leicester Mercury. 

They were convicted in their absence for the display of advertisements without advertisement consent. Dexterford Ltd was fined £1,250 with a victim surcharge of £120.

Unipad Ltd was fined £1,250 for each of two charges; it was also ordered to pay costs of £2,700 and a victim surcharge of £120.

Madhu Parmar was fined £1,250 for each of two charges and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120. Paresh Parmar was fined £1,250 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120.

In total, this took the amount in fines, costs and victim surcharges to £10,680.

A council spokesman is quoted as saying: “These advertising boards have been up for at least two years and there have been no applications for advertisement consent for the display of advertisements at these addresses. We have written to the various parties on numerous occasions asking them to voluntarily remove the advertisements, but they have not complied.”