THEY say it pays to advertise - but a Bournemouth café owner's believes his attempts to let shoppers know his premises are open are being thwarted by bureaucracy.

Tony Randall runs Flavour in Albert Road, just off Old Christchurch Road. But while thousands of people walk up and down the main road each day, few pedestrians venture up the side road - especially since the Criterion Arcade was closed and redeveloped.

His solution was to shell out £170 for a metal sign, which he chains up near Lloyds Bank in Old Christchurch Road.

"If I keep it up here, it does nothing because no-one walks past. By putting it down there, it brings in another 20 per cent trade," explained Mr Randall, 46.

"It's chained to a post and is back against a wall so no-one can trip over it. On Tuesday I put it down there in the morning, but when I went to retrieve it at three o'clock it had gone."

He has previously tried putting a cardboard sign in a planter to advertise his English breakfasts, but that was also removed.

Jim Clegg, environmental compliance manager for the council, said: "Concerns were raised at a meeting of a multi-agency town centre task force group about business advertising boards causing a danger to the public.

"As a result, a number of A-boards and advertising signs found in breach of the Highways Act and causing a danger to pedestrians were removed from the town centre.

"In the case of Flavour, the owners have been warned before about the positioning of their A-board. It was found padlocked to a lamp post in the middle of the precinct causing a danger to members of the public and bolt croppers were used to remove it."