CAMPAIGNERS from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) will be holding a blindfold walk around Ilkley to urge Bradford Council for better enforcement of the ban on advertising boards (A-boards).

Guide dog user, Stuart Ross, and Maqsood Sheikh, RNIB’s Regional Campaigns Officer for Yorkshire and Humber will be joined by Robbie Moore, Keighley and Ilkley MP, in the town at 1.30pm on Saturday, January 15

A RNIB spokesperson said: "A-boards can make navigating the streets difficult for people with sight loss and mobility aids as they obstruct pedestrians from being able to move in a straight line along the pavement."

Recent RNIB research showed that almost half of all blind and partially sighted people had collided with an advertisement board in the last three months. The homemade nature of some of the boards and their height make them particularly likely to injure pedestrians.

Bradford Council introduced a ban on advertising boards on public highways in April 2018 to make it easier for disabled people to navigate the district’s streets.

However, two years later Ilkley town centre was highlighted as a hot spot for businesses flouting A board rules. Businesses can be fined £100 for displaying ‘A boards’ on public highways.