‘Hidden’ shop falls foul of law with painted directions

OWNERS of a health food shop hidden down an alley have been ordered to remove a line of “illegal” painted arrows directing customers to their door.

Sebastian Venn, 24, used removable paint to create the signs on the ground to enable customers to find his health food outlet, Sprout, down a quiet alleyway in Newquay, Cornwall.

The markings were there for several months before they came to the attention of council officials. However, he has now been ordered to remove them by Cornwall county council and told that if he does not do so, the local authority will and send him the bill.

Paul Crampton, a regular Sprout customer, called the decision “farcical.” He said: “The business rates in Newquay are unsustainable, as can be verified by the many empty retail outlets, and yet the council would appear to find it appropriate to victimise young entrepreneurs who deserve all the support the local authority can muster.”

Cornwall council said it was an offence under the Highways Act 1980 to mark the highway without consent from the highway authority.