I don't know if anyone else gets as infuriated as I do by the plethora of "Success", "Let by", "Sold" etc signs that local estate agents infest our streets with. They seem to see them as free advertising, and as a result our streets have become a battleground for them to tout for customers.

It may be of interest to learn that by law, they are only allowed to leave these up for 14 days following the completion of a sale or letting. This is stipulated by clause 3A (3) of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992, which states: "The advertisement shall be removed within 14 days after the completion of a sale or the grant of a tenancy".

If you find that your street, like mine, has become dominated by these signs, you can simply email the offending estate agent(s) & ask them to remove the sign, quoting the above clause. It doesn't matter whether the sign is on your property or not. You can also contact (or threaten to contact) the Planning Enforcement Officer at Richmond Council, or the Office of the Ombudmsan for Estate Agents if you so wish.

Give it a go! Tell your friends! It would be nice for our community to become villagey again, don't you think?