New guidelines are being introduced in west Dorset to stop A-board advertising clogging up busy town centre pavements.

Many businesses in Bridport, Beaminster and Lyme Regis use A-boards to attract customers onto their premises.

In future the signs will be limited to one per business and they should not be attached to any highway structures or obstruct pedestrian and emergency vehicle access.

Dorset County Council said when a number are used, they can hinder or impede pedestrians, including wheelchair users, the partially sighted and people with pushchairs.

Now the council has produced a policy to manage the way A-boards are used and to make sure that both walkers’ and traders’ concerns are considered.

A leaflet – A guide to A-board enforcement policy – is currently being distributed in Dorchester town centre and will be rolled out across the county.

It explains how businesses can use the signs without creating an obstruction.

Hilary Cox, the county council’s Cabinet member for environment, said: “We recognise that these signs are a low-cost way of promoting businesses, but we have to balance traders’ needs with those of the public using the pavements.

“We want to support local businesses and to encourage the local economy but we have had to draw the line somewhere and so we are limiting the use to one A-board per business. It shouldn’t be attached to any highway structures, or hamper access for pedestrians and emergency vehicles.”

The county council will advise businesses on how the policy can work for them and how signs can be adapted to comply with this policy. As a last resort signboards could be removed.

The policy also reminds businesses that they need public liability insurance that covers them if their A-board is found to be the cause of an accident.