FOUR estate agencies have ended up in court after Colchester Council got fed up of asking them to remove illegal signs.

The council brought charges against William H Brown, Spicerhaart, Saxons and David Martin Group, alleging the companies had put up signs without the authority’s permission and in breach of planning regulations.

The council said the signs had been put up as advertisements and did not relate to properties for sale.

Each estate agent except Saxons admitted the charges.

Representatives for the companies appeared at Colchester Magistrates Court yesterday.

Claudia Lord-Lynch, prosecuting, said the council had sent a letters in 2015 to each business, warning of legal action if regulations were breached.

A further letter was sent last November again highlighting the penalty for breaking advertising rules.

But the court heard in February, unauthorised To Let and Sold signs were discovered on communal grounds near Ash Way and Hooper Avenue, Colchester.

Jeff Hamblion, senior property manager at Saxons, denied the charge, blaming the actions of drunk revellers.

“We have advertised that property for many years, at the same spot with the same agency,” he said.

“We have photographic evidence of where it should be and where it has been positioned in the past.

“We believe it is some drunk, or someone else, who has come past and removed it from its position of where it should be and left it in the position it was found in February.”

The company was summoned to appear for a trial the court on August 17.

Nick Price, mitigating for David Martin Group, said: “In 22 years of operating, we have never been asked to remove a board. It was simply one that slipped through the cracks and on this occasion it was not picked up.”

David Martin Group, William H Brown and Spicerhaart were all ordered to pay a £500 fine, a victim surcharge of £50 and prosecution costs.

Speaking following the decision, John Beton, director of David Martin Group, said: “We have accepted liability and the fine connected.

“We certainly never erect signs in areas where we do not have properties for sale or to let.

"The one fine we have received was due to an internal board ordering error.

“We back the council with their policy and feel applying this with a stronger hand will benefit all agents by assuring applicants that the signage reflects actual available properties and not just fake advertisement.”

A Colchester Council spokesman said: “We hope that bringing these cases to court will serve as both a deterrent and a reminder to estate agents to think twice before leaving unnecessary signs up at properties or on public land for which they have no permission.”