VIDEO: Anger after rival town advert appears in Horsham

Independent traders have spoken out in defence of Horsham after Guildford Borough Council took out advertising hoping to entice shoppers with its free parking.
JPCT 261114 S14491198x Guildford advertisement causes upset with Horsham traders. John Le Rossignol, Fran White, PJ Aldred, Howard Bayliss -photo by Steve Cobb SUS-141126-115014001JPCT 261114 S14491198x Guildford advertisement causes upset with Horsham traders. John Le Rossignol, Fran White, PJ Aldred, Howard Bayliss -photo by Steve Cobb SUS-141126-115014001
JPCT 261114 S14491198x Guildford advertisement causes upset with Horsham traders. John Le Rossignol, Fran White, PJ Aldred, Howard Bayliss -photo by Steve Cobb SUS-141126-115014001

The posters, which appear most prominently on the Iron Bridge in Queen Street, have sparked a row as it emerged Horsham offered more free parking as well as its unique retail offering.

Director of Horsham Markets PJ Aldred said: “A lot of us promote Horsham far and wide. We promote Horsham Markets very well, but in all our promotion of Horsham we would not put out a message which was not true. It’s verging on misleading.

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“As a customer if I drove past a billboard, I certainly wouldn’t read the small print and even the small print doesn’t say after four on Thursdays and Boxing Day.”

JPCT 261114 S14491198x Guildford advertisement causes upset with Horsham traders. John Le Rossignol, Fran White, PJ Aldred, Howard Bayliss -photo by Steve Cobb SUS-141126-115014001JPCT 261114 S14491198x Guildford advertisement causes upset with Horsham traders. John Le Rossignol, Fran White, PJ Aldred, Howard Bayliss -photo by Steve Cobb SUS-141126-115014001
JPCT 261114 S14491198x Guildford advertisement causes upset with Horsham traders. John Le Rossignol, Fran White, PJ Aldred, Howard Bayliss -photo by Steve Cobb SUS-141126-115014001

Horsham District Council’s leader of the opposition Frances Haigh was among those blaming the council for the oversight saying Guildford had given Horsham ‘a masterclass’ in how to promote a town.

Free parking is available in Swan Walk Shopping Centre on Thursdays after 4pm until December 18 and every Sunday.

For the full story see tomorrow’s County Times.