SHOP boards are cluttering pavents, causing a hazard to disabled people and should be banned, a Dorchester group warned today.

Dorchester Civic Society chairman Derek Beauchamp said that A-boards positioned around that town had become a hazard.

Mr Beauchamp said: "I believe that there are so many of these that they have become a dangerous clutter, especially on High West and High East Street."

He said that the signs cause blockages for disabled people and blind people, and were excessive.

"Why should a Trinity Street caf have a board in South Street?

"Such abuse only seems to have one solution. We should ban them all."

Dorchester Civic Society secretary Tim Bullick said the signs were an obstruction to movement and made the town centre look cluttered.

"People in electric buggies have trouble with them and in addition they can become a bit of a clutter when there are too many of them."

He said that the civic society had attempted to tackle the problem through the council but had not had any success.

He added: "They have tended to say that they do everything they can within their powers and can do no more."

"It might be good to ask the shopkeepers and businesses that are using these boards to consider where they place them."

Disabled campaigner Carol Bancroft warned that some streets in Dorchester could become tricky to negotiate.

"A lot of pavements in Dorchester are very narrow and although I can sympathise with shops wanting to use them, as a disabled person they sometimes make it very difficult to get past.

"If you are in a buggy then there is only just enough room to get through.

"If someone is coming the other way they either have to stop for you or you have to wait for them."

She added: "If the pavement is narrow people should consider the disabled access and disabled people getting past them."