The words of magistrate Ian Bramley to a man convicted of fly-posting hit the nail squarely on the head.

He told Zahir Hussain Chowdhury that the bench was very unimpressed with his mitigation, stating ... "The fact that your business is unsuccessful doesn't mean you can break the law to make sure it succeeds."

The case, the first fly-posting prosecution in the town, gives a number of pointers to a brighter future.

The first is the definitive statement given in evidence by Dennis Schulman, prosecuting for Bradford Council, that the act of fly posting is regarded as a form of anti-social behaviour which makes the streets look untidy.

That sends out a clear signal that action will be taken against anyone breaching the new Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act.

This case was also the first fly-posting prosecution involving town centre wardens. The action marked not only a first for Keighley, but a first for town centre wardens in the Bradford district.

It wasn't a case of the wardens being over-zealous -- far from it. The defendant ignored numerous phone calls and letters, made no attempt to remove his posters and instead continued to put them up. The wardens have rightly been praised for initiating the prosecution. They deserve the public's thanks too.

Fly posting, fly-tipping, graffiti and dropping chewing gum all create a problem which the council has to clean up at great cost. This new act means that on-the-spot fines and fixed-penalty notices are new weapons in the armoury of the council to tackle this form of anti-social behaviour. Fly-tippers can even have their vehicles confiscated and the money from the sale put towards the cost of cleaning up the mess.

These measures couldn't have been better timed as the strategies to regenerate and restore civic pride in the area gather pace. Our town and village centres need to look inviting and safe to attract even more residents and visitors alike to shop and use local services.

Once again we can all play a part in keeping our surroundings clean and tidy.