OLDHAM Council is to refresh its guidance for event organisers aiming to use three key roadside sites in Saddleworth.

The move comes after a wrangle on social media exposed divisions in the community over a pre-Christmas rash of colourful posters and billboards.

Some locals said although some posters included charity events, the number and size of the signs raised safety issues for motorists and pedestrians.

The council’s inquiries have been focused on sites at the three-way junction at Delph New Road, near the railway viaduct and opposite the Limekiln Cafe at Dobcross.

Another contentious hot spot is the junction of the main A62 Oldham-Huddersfield Road with The Sound at Delph where more than a dozen signs, some several feet long, took eye-catching pride of place.

And a cluster of posters appeared at a lay-by near the Royal George junction near Manchester Road, Greenfield.

Some locals argued the posters were turning the respective areas into a mess and distracted motorists.

But, as a counterpoint, small local businesses said the posters were a way of raising their profile and encouraged passing trade.

Now Oldham Council bosses, who have been examining the issues, say they are prepared to accept the advertisements as long as they comply with planning guidance around temporary signage.

And they are liaising with Saddleworth Parish Council over events being advertised at the Civic Hall in Uppermill and other popular venues to remind them of what is acceptable regarding advertising time schedules, the size of posters and the specific guidance to events themselves.

“As part of that guidance we shall be asking organisers of local community events to act responsibly and consider the visual impact of their signage,” they say.