Parties reprimanded on hazardous posters

Posters:Dublin City Council has reprimanded political parties over their placement of election posters and has threatened to confiscate posters that pose a danger to motorists and pedestrians.

Assistant city manager Matt Twomey has written to the headquarters of each party in relation to complaints from council staff and members of the public about the hazards being caused by improperly placed posters.

Some posters were obscuring traffic lights and signs, others had been erected at head height or were left resting on the ground and were causing a danger, particularly for the visually impaired, and many had protruding cable ties at a level that could cause injury to pedestrians, particularly children.

Mr Twomey warned parties to review the position of their posters and to take action to eliminate any hazards.

"Where Dublin City Council staff become aware of posters, that are considered to be causing a hazard they will remove them," he said.

Posters must be a minimum of 2.3 metres above footpaths or any area to which pedestrians have access. They should not be erected on lamp standards with overhead electricity lines, traffic signal poles, bridge parapets, overpasses, pedestrian bridges, or roadside traffic barriers, and must not obscure any road signs.

Mr Twomey also reminded parties that they would be prosecuted under the litter acts if they did not remove posters within seven days of the election.