FIFE COUNCIL has ordered the removal of two advertising trailers at the side of the A92 which they say cause an "unnecessary distraction" to drivers using the road between Crossgates and Lochgelly.

Enforcement action has been taken to get rid of the signs promoting the Alhambra Theatre and the Kinross Stove and Cooker Centre, however, an appeal has been lodged and a Scottish Government reporter will now decide if they should stay or go.

The notice issued by the council said the 'A' Frame trailers were "detrimental to visual amenity and likely to cause unnecessary distraction" to drivers.

A statement of appeal raised by Rosyth-based businessman Ian Colville Sinclair said the sign for the Alhambra had been there for more than 10 years without any council objection or comment.

He said the hoarding was changed regularly to advertise temporarily each show featured at the venue and were of a "community, cultural and recreational" interest.

Mr Sinclair, a director of AFR (Dunfermline), also stated he was not the landowner and said the enforcement notice had not been served on the landowner as it should have been.

He said the owner of the land was the owner of the Fordell Industrial Estate which also contains a business which he is a director of.

"I am lodging the appeal as the named appellant only on the basis of being given no alternative due to being served with the notice personally," he said. "I believe it has been wrongly served on me.

"I am not the owner of the advertisement signs, nor is the company. The company does not own the trailers, however, I do not see how Fife Council has any authority to require removal of the trailers."

He said no accidents nor incidents had been linked to the trailers' presence.

"By far the largest driver distraction on this road is an extremely large wind turbine sire with multiple large-bladed and very big turbines, unlike signage, it is almost impossible not to be temporarily distracted by the movement and reflection from the blades."

In stating its case to the Government reporter, Fife Council said the advertisements didn't relate to activities on the land on which they are situated.

"One sign represented the commercial Alhambra Theatre in nearby Dunfermline. The other was for a wood burning stove company based in Kinross," it said.

"These signs are only visible to the large volume of passing road traffic and are an unnecessary distraction to drivers as they feature symbols and letters which are small and require to be read and this on a road with a high speed flow of traffic.

"The Alhambra Theatre hosts a number of events and theatre shows on a permanent and commercial basis. It is not a temporary, educational, cultural, social and recreational-based temporary event."

Addressing the issue of land ownership, it added: "The ownership of these advertising platforms was not established. They are, however, displayed on land owned by AFR (Dunfermline) Ltd of which Mr Sinclair is a director.

"The service of a notice can be served on the owner, lessee and occupier of the land or on any other person known to the planning authority to be displaying the advertisement without consent."

The Government reporter carried out a site visit last week and a decision is expected by October.