SIR — We recently organised a charity dog show at Culvercliffe, Minehead, in aid of the Brooke Animal Hospital.

As is customary, signs were placed one week prior to the event at the approaches to Minehead, near Ellicombe roundabout and on the Porlock Road at Bratton, to inform both locals and visitors that the event was taking place.

Our West Somerset Free Press advertising is very effective but may not be seen by all locals and probably not by visitors.

Grass cutting on the verges had been done, so the signs were not obstructing the authority's ground maintenance staff.

Like the highways department, we too are not in favour of a multitude of signs and A –boards permanently littering the town and obstructing pedestrian and others use of the pavements.

But we were very surprised and disappointed that the signs, which we had carefully placed, had been removed several days before the event, causing a loss of publicity and consequently revenue for this charity.

Having a large number of charitable events over the year in a small area such as West Somerset is indicative of a healthily active volunteer community and surely a prime example of Dave Cameron's 'Big Society' in action!

Hence, could not some degree of toleration be shown to local charity fundraisers for the display of event signs for a short period prior to each fundraising event, even if this means seeking local authority approval to avoid duplication, nuisance or road safety issues.

We are sure that event organisers would be happy to comply with that; it is, after all, only one more of the many consents and permissions needed to promote a charity event.

The highways department policy will affect the RNLI Raft Race, village duck races, village open gardens, church fetes, flower festivals, Rotary, Lions, Round Table, WI, scouts, guides, charity sporting events and many more local worthy causes.

So please highways authority, show the hardworking charity fundraising volunteers in West Somerset some tolerance over the display of our signs, and local charity event organisers, write, email or telephone your political representatives now before it is too late.

Meg Sunningdale and Peter Conrad,

Withycombe.