Pesky posters due to come down

For around a month the countryside has been dotted with posters urging voters to elect their councillors and Assembly members. But this Thursday May 19 is the day posters are due to come down, in accordance with an agreement made with the Department of the Environment before the election campaign.

While some parties do seem to have stuck to the arrangement - which the Department confirmed was simply an agreement and not enforceable by law - others appear to have been slower to remove the placards with a number still in place across the district at the time of going to press.

A source in the Department said the posters are viewed more as an eyesore than anything else. “To be honest we would rather they didn’t put anything on the poles,” said the man. “They make a complete mess and a lot of them fail to remove the cable ties which they use to to attach the posters so we end up having to do that ourselves.”

One local man contacted the Leader to express his frustration at the posters.

“We are told by our politicians that we must be more environmentally friendly so why then do they turn around at election time and blight our towns and countryside with this appalling waste of paper,” said the Banbridge man.

“And as for their election literature, well this usually ends up in the bin without being read. Is it so hard to send an email?

“We’re living in a digital age so why are our politicians still relying on such an outdated way of reaching out to voters?

“This is something that needs to be addressed at Stormont with a blanket ban put in place.

“If parties were as quick at taking them down as they are to put them up it wouldn’t be so bad but I can guarantee you months from now there will still be the odd one hanging from a telegraph pole.”

Do any posters remain in your area? Send us your pictures to [email protected]. and we will print them over the coming weeks.