Rules are rules! Fife Council took down Dysart Outlander banners

Two banners were put in place by Eunice Cameron, secretary of the community council on Friday, in a bid to attract fans of the hit show to the village where some of the scenes were filmed.

But within 24 hours the banners had disappeared from Boreland and Ravenscraig Park, with no explanation as to who had taken them.

It was suspected that it had perhaps been a fan of the show who had taken the banners as a piece of memorabilia.

But a phone call from Councillor Kay Carrington confirmed that they had been taken down by transport technicians from the council.

Eunice said: “I was extremely annoyed. They hadn’t contacted me to tell me they had removed them, even though it states quite clearly that they were put up by DCC.

“I made sure they were secure and wouldn’t be a disturbance to drivers by flapping about in the wind.

“The whole idea is to encourage visitors to visit the village, we want them to see what else Dysart has to offer.

“How can we advertise without signs? Can someone at the council explain that to me?

“I also feel sorry for all the business owners who gave us £20 each to have their names on the sign. I feel like we’ve let them down and they’ve been conned.

“I didn’t think a couple of banners would cause all this bother. I’m really annoyed.

“I understand that I may have contravened some law, but I think the law’s an ass in this case.”

Cllr Carrington said she sympathised with Eunice but said “the law applies to everybody”.

She added: “The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 states no advertising banners can be erected within 15 meters of the highway, so unfortunately they contravened traffic regulations.

“I’ve now got the banners back from the council which I will return to the community council, and we can see where we go from here.

“There’s a correct way to do things and DCC needed to get permission so I think in this case lessons need to be learned.”

Cllr Neil Crooks, chairman of Kirkcaldy Area Committee, said: “We’re supportive of any initiatives that encourage visitors to our towns and villages and we have a tourism summit planned for later this month.

“I did not see the banners personally but council officers determined they were sited at inappropriate locations and without any permission so they had them removed.

“I am sure this was done with the best of intentions but Fife Council had no option but to remove these banners.”