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Some 1,200 advertising hoardings have been removed from roadsides in the Dordogne since a ban came into effect in 2015, the préfecture has announced.

The wide-ranging Grenelle 2 environment law, introduced tougher rules on outdoor advertising, including a ban on certain hoardings - for hotels and restaurants - at the entrance to towns and villages with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

Under the law, only adverts for historic monuments, local products or cultural events are allowed on roads outside smaller rural communes.

Businesses that flout the law face fines of €203 per day for every day the sign remains in place after a removal notice has been issued.

Hoteliers, restaurateurs and petrol station managers have campaigned against the implementation of this measure, arguing that their establishments are missing out on passing trade because motorists are unaware of their existence.

But the préfecture is working on a scheme in which communes will install approved fixed panels allowing businesses to remove their existing hoardings and advertise on those instead.