End of the sandwich board is nigh

Since the early 19th century, when tradesmen hoisted them on to their backs to flaunt silk wares and fine foods, the sandwich board has played an integral role in the commerce of London. Nowadays they are more likely to advertise two-for-one meals, cheap theatre tickets or tanning salons, but they remain a regular fixture in the West End.

Now the sandwich-board men are about to be driven from the teeming pavements and consigned to history.



Westminster City Council will use new legislation to remove sandwich boards and advertising placards permanently from the streets next month. Under the new laws, sandwich-board men and the companies they advertise face fines of up to £2,500 if they fail to comply with the ban.

Westminster, which believes that other authorities in London will follow its lead, said it was taking steps to remove the clutter from the West End to improve the experience for shoppers. On any given day, more than 100 portable signs are carried through London’s leading shopping streets. The workers who wield them are often paid as little as £4 an hour to stand for up to ten hours promoting anything from sports sales to restaurants and language schools.