'˜Complete and utter mystery' as Rochdale billboard poster appears in St Leonards

A billboard poster aimed at businesses in Rochdale has appeared in St Leonards...and nobody seems to know how.
A billboard poster calling on businesses in Rochdale to vote for a business improvement district has appeared in St Leonards and nobody knows how. Picture: Justin LycettA billboard poster calling on businesses in Rochdale to vote for a business improvement district has appeared in St Leonards and nobody knows how. Picture: Justin Lycett
A billboard poster calling on businesses in Rochdale to vote for a business improvement district has appeared in St Leonards and nobody knows how. Picture: Justin Lycett

The poster, which is plastered across a JCDecaux billboard, in Bexhill Road, St Leonards, calls on Rochdale business owners to vote ‘yes’ for a business improvement district in the Greater Manchester town.

The problem is Rochdale is 285 miles away from the St Leonards sign and only Rochdale businesses can vote.

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The poster also includes a number to contact Rochdale’s town centre manager Paul Ambrose, who has no idea how the mix-up has happened.

He said: “It is a complete and utter mystery why it has ended up in Hastings.

“There is a billboard up in Rochdale so how on Earth this has happened is a different matter. I have no idea what’s going on.”

Mr Ambrose said he paid a fee to another business for the Rochdale billboard advert but has not contacted JCDecaux or paid for two adverts.

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He added: “I emailed across the graphics and that advert (in Rochdale) went up a couple of weeks ago.

“I emailed someone to ask what has happened and they’ve responded asking ‘how’s this happened’ so he’s asking me and I have no idea.”

To add to the confusion, a spokesman for JCDecaux said the campaign is scheduled to be on the St Leonards billboard but provided no further information.

Mr Ambrose said the billboard was meant to be a reminder to businesses in Rochdale to vote for the business improvement district – for which they have each received a ballot paper.

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