MEMBERS of a North Craven drama group were dismayed after the roadside banner advertising 'Oh What a Lovely War' - staged to coincide with the centenary of the Armistice - was removed by highways officers.

Settle Amateur Operatic Society paid for a banner promoting the production at Settle Victoria Hall, which finished on Saturday, and placed it on the roundabout at the approach to the town.

But after a few days, it vanished, and only by chance did members learn it had been taken away by the highways authority for safety reasons, and not as they thought, stolen.

Tim Cannon, a supporter of the group, said the banner had been placed where others often appeared advertising events in the town, such as the annual flowerpot festival and concerts in the church.

"Several days later it was noticed it had been taken and it was assumed to have been stolen or vandalised," he said.

"It was only by chance that we later discovered that it had not been stolen but taken by North Yorkshire County Council in a purge against roadside advertisements.

"Not only did they not have the decency to inform the society of this - which was easily contactable by information on the banner - but they charged a significant amount of money for its return."

Mr Cannon added: "Now I don’t doubt the council will have their own reasons for their actions and I am far too polite to suggest that their time and energies could be better spent on repairing our pot holed roads rather than seeking to damage small village drama groups that are doing their best to bring entertainment to their rural communities.

But the society is not a wealthy one and numerous people give and do so much to keep these annual productions going. Wouldn’t it have been nice if they had had the decency to pick up the phone and ask us to re site it rather than hold it ransom for their own financial gain."

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said: “The banner publicising the local production of “Oh What a Lovely War” was taken down by one of our highways inspectors, along with a number of others placed in the highway on the Cleatop roundabout on the A65 south of Settle, on the grounds of safety, as they were considered to be a distraction to highways users.

“People who want to publicise community events in their area with posters, placards or banners can always seek advice from North Yorkshire’s area highways staff who can give guidance about where publicity material such as this can be safely placed, to avoid unauthorised and distracting material in the highway. We want to support community events whenever possible and we understand the need to promote them, but we must balance this against the safety of highways users.”