ORGANISERS of a major pop music festival claim a council's 'petty bureaucracy' is costing them ticket sales.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council has ordered the removal of a banner from the town's Prince Regent Hotel advertising the Pop 4 Weymouth festival.

Weymouth Football Club chiefs today criticised the council for showing a 'lack of support' for next weekend's Wessex Stadium event.

They claim council actions have cost them ticket sales. They include:

A threat of prosecution for issuing flyers promoting the event along the town's sea front.

Demands that a banner promoting the festival is immediately removed.

An order that no posters for the event should be placed on a hired ticket office.

Disillusioned Weymouth Football Club chairman Ian Ridley said he was 'frustrated' by the borough council's actions.

He said: "I am sad and disappointed at the council's apparent attitude, and that of certain people around the town, to what we are trying to do both for Weymouth Football Club and the town.

"It seems ironic, almost comical, that the council are objecting to one banner just a couple of days before carnival week when the town will be festooned with them.

"It is one of several hurdles we didn't expect that we have had to overcome.

"Because of the prevailing attitude we haven't, to be honest, sold as many tickets as we would have hoped to, though we are confident things will pick up in what will be a busy week for the town."

Pop stars including Girls Aloud, Liberty X, Peter Andre and Mark Owen are lined up to perform at the Wessex Stadium on August 22.

A host of television stars and former footballers will also be playing in a celebrity soccer tournament the day before. Organisers hope to attract a crowd of 12,000 to the pop concert, but admit they are well short of that target.

Mr Ridley added: "By and large we have received a lot of support.

"West Dorset District Council have been very co-operative in their work with us on an entertainment licence, and the local police and fire brigade have been really helpful. Steve Davies at Weymouth and Portland leisure department has also been incredibly supportive.

"But in some cases there has been petty bureaucracy and a no-can-do attitude.

"It is frustrating and exasperating sometimes. The football club really put this town on the map last season with its exploits on the field, along with the BBC2 documentary Football Diaries.

"I would think a lot of people have come to Weymouth this summer having seen the town and the beach portrayed so well on TV in loving colour.

"But not to be allowed to promote the concert and celebrity football properly, when it is bringing revenue into the town and benefiting everyone, is baffling.

"Don't we all want Weymouth, both the club and the town, to prosper?"

A spokesman for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council said they had ordered the removal of the Prince Regent banner because the hotel is a listed building.

She added that the council had no objections to leaflets being distributed promoting the event.

She said: "The banner, which is on a listed building, is regarded as non authorised advertising by the council which is why we have requested its removal.

"We are quite happy to sit down with the concert organisers to discuss setting up authorised banners elsewhere in the town, but as yet we have not been approached."