THE signs aren't good for a company that wanted to put up advertising boards in Dunfermline after they lost their appeal.

William Street Commercial, based in Rosyth, had already been refused permission by Fife Council and now the Scottish Government have also said no.

They had applied to erect two advertising hoardings measuring six metres by three metres, on top of a one-and-a-half-metre timber fence, on a patch of green space between Chalmers Street and Glen Bridge.

The council rejected the proposals in August on the grounds of visual amenity and road safety, and the company submitted an appeal to the planning and environmental appeals division in October.

They had argued: "We do not believe that the proposals have any more impact on road safety than any other signage / advertising / furniture at any roadside.

"The proposals are based on existing advertising, operated by the applicant, on the junction of Rumblingwell / William Street, a short distance from the application site.

"To the best of our knowledge and as far as we can ascertain, no incidents related to the advertising hoardings have ever been reported."

However, Scottish reporter Philip McLean dismissed the appeal and refused advertising consent in the interests of amenity and public safety.

He said the hoardings "would have the potential to create a distraction to passing motorists due to the size and prominence of the proposed advertisements".

Mr McLean wrote: "This might increase the risk of accidents and would be detrimental to road safety."

He added that the "large size of the advertisements would not sit comfortably beside the relatively modest scale of the adjacent buildings" and agreed with the council that the proposal would have an adverse effect on the visual amenity of the area.

Mr McLean said the existence of the hoardings "some distance away" at Rumblingwell did not alter his views.

Local resident Jenni Cleland, 74, had gained 50 signatures after launching a petition that called on the council to refuse the plans.

After hearing the decision, she said it was "good news for me and was worth the effort”.

She lives in Spencer House, sheltered accommodation at Canon Lynch Court, and feared that the advertising boards would ruin the view from her window.