officials banned a 15-foot high advertising sign.

Bermuda Glass Blowing Company put the sign up last summer outside their Blue Hole Hill premises. But now it has been banned by the Development Applications Board on the grounds it affected the "visual amenity'' of the area and went against a 1911 advertising law.

Corporate secretary for the company Ms Wendy Avery said yesterday business had dropped 20-40 percent since the sign was removed.

While the recession had played its part in the business fall-off, Ms Avery said the banning of the sign had contributed to the loss of drive-by business.

She also maintained that continuing poor communications with Planning since the sign was taken down in March made it difficult for Bermuda Glass to know how to comply with regulations.

Ms Avery, sister of owner Mrs. Gayle Ann Cooke, was told by the Development Applications Board that the sign and the pole it was mounted on were too big.

The pole was 15 feet, and the sign was 3 feet 7 inches square.

"The sign, by reason of its size, height and location, has a detrimental impact on the visual amenity of the area,'' the board ruled last week.

"We requested permission for the 15-foot pole but we did not receive a response so we just went ahead and put it up. It was our ignorance,'' said Ms Avery.

"After we had to take it down we requested that the pole be six feet. Though the law says four, they said that they'd consider six.'' Ms. Avery added: "This is a gracious, elegant, classy area. Swizzle Inn has a sign that is 100 years old and we wanted a sign to fit in with the look of the area.

"It is the first thing people see. The sign makes a good impression on the tourists when they're coming in. We want people to see it. We cleaned this place up tremendously and we want it to look good.

"The board simply wants to refuse us and move on to the next thing. They told us to hang the sign behind the bushes, but no one would be able to see it so that would be useless. Then they told us to put it in the street, which would then take away from the use of the entrance.

"No one has told us what size the new sign should be. Nobody has an answer but we're anticipating a response. Our intentions are very good.

"We're still awaiting an answer to our letter,'' she said. "This is just a communications problem.'' THE vacant signpost at the glassblowing studio at Blue Hole Hill, Hamilton Parish.