You are sending a link to...
Matalan posters outrage Muslims
A COUNCILLOR today called for more control over advertising posters in "culturally sensitive" areas of Birmingham.
Coun Talib Hussain made his plea after a billboard on the corner of Sydenham Road and Golden Hillock Road, in predominantly Muslim Sparkbrook, was defaced.
The hoarding, close to mosques in Anderton Road and Golden Hillock Road and visible to parents and children walking to Montgomery Primary School, promotes Matalan's new swimwear range and features three scantily-clad models.
The models have been covered in thick white paint to conceal bare flesh.
Coun Talib Hussain (Ind, Sparkbrook) criticised the vandalism but said it was a result of the lack of action from city council bosses. He said: "I condemn the people that did this but at the same time it's wrong for companies to put that kind of advert in sensitive wards.
"I have received complaints on a number of occasions not to put adverts like that in Sparkbrook. "The city council should not give permission to advertising like that in these wards. "Having families seeing naked pictures does not bring the community together, it provokes things."
A Birmingham City Council spokesman, said: "Our only power is to approve where advertising can take place, but not what is put on it. That is between the Advertising Standards Agency and the firm itself."
In Chorley Lancashire what I believe to be the same advertising campaign has also attracted interest and I have been able to find a picture of one of the offending models.
The large billboard on Moor Road shows a woman in underwear and has caught the attention of drivers going out of Chorley.
Residents living along the busy road say the Matalan clothes advert has had a va-va-voom effect on drivers and makes many slow down so they can take a closer look.
As a Guardian reporter was speaking to local residents he saw several passing motorists brake to get a closer look at the blonde poster model.
Karen Thompson, 43, said: "It's close to a set off traffic lights and people cross Moor Road road throughout the day, so it could be dangerous if someone is distracted and not minding the road. . . Saying that, it's nothing people should be too concerned about - after all, it's just a woman lying on a beach." She's right - it's just a very good looking girl in a swimming cossie. The same Matalan billboard has also been spotted on Brooke Street, close to Sacred Hearts Church and the zebra crossing at Sacred Hearts RC Primary School. I can’t find any instances of angry Christians vandalising the posters and demanding action from Chorley council.
Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA, said: "There are lots of things that can distract drivers which includes adverts of half-naked women. We have had cases of drivers being distracted by the Angel of the North statue, displays in shop windows or even a blooming magnolia tree - it's impossible to remove everything that distracts you when you are driving.
"A more experienced driver knows how to deal with distractions and is less likely to look at an advert. . . Motorists have got to learn to deal with such distractions - it's impossible to create laws for everything that distracts drivers."
Despite a number of requests nobody from Matalan was available for comment.
