Villagers shoot down advertising balloon over country park

Those living in the affluent area have been angered after the Big Box Self Storage company launched an advertising blimp over a picturesque country park.

The garish white, blue and green inflatable, which can be seen from a mile away, was shot down three times by angry locals but the company had it patched up and put it back in the air.

Big Box, which runs a countryside warehouse in picture-postcard Ditchling Common, West Sussex, does not need planning permission for the blimp, just agreement from the Civil Aviation Authority.



Martin Harris, 43, a City trader who lives with his family in a secluded £750,000 cottage overlooking the country park, said: “We moved to the middle of the countryside because we wanted beautiful countryside views, but that blimp is real a stain on the horizon.

“This is a picturesque area, and looking over the country park is a delight all year round - but when that balloon is up, your eye is automatically drawn to it and it really spoils the scene. I recently removed one of our hedges so we would have a better view over the horse fields from our back garden, but now that blimp is constantly front and centre.

“It’s very frustrating that we don’t have any say over whether it can remain there. I know some local people have taken pot-shots at it, and they’ve had to patch it up a few times. Maybe they should get the message and just throw it in the bin.”