BRITAIN’S gaudiest fast food sign has been ordered down after it gave neighbours headaches and distracted drivers.
Council officials in Aberdeen told staff at Bodrum’s Kebab House to remove the giant LED sign which includes an animation of a man carving doner meat.
A viral video of the sign, taken at night, was dubbed the “new Northern lights” because of its illuminating power.
The animated display also shows the shop’s name, the word “authentic”, and its phone number bouncing next to a graphic of a motorbike.
But the sign has breached planning laws in the city because it is animated and the kebab shop has been ordered to remove it.
Kebab shop boss Reza Nazar, 31, spent around £5,000 on the eye-catching sign and installed it last month.
Speaking to a local newspaper, Mr Nazar said: “I got permission for the new sign but didn’t realise it wasn’t allowed to be moving.
“I spoke to a guy from the council who said it couldn’t be animated. Apparently they’d had some complaints. Apparently it is a distraction to drivers.
“But someone from the council has since phoned me back and told me that I have to remove it altogether.”
Mr Nazar added: “We are the last shop on Chapel Street so it was more difficult to get customers through the door.
“I put the sign up a month ago and I have seen a big improvement in business since. I’ve definitely seen more business since I put it up.”
Despite bringing in more customers to the business, the creative installation has been giving literal headaches to its rivals.
Stuart Herd, owner of Herdy’s Dolphin Fish and Chips shop next door said: “Some of the staff have said they’ve been getting sore heads from it.
“We’re next door and when it’s on at night and flashing onto the building across the road it’s too much.
“The light just go on non stop from when they open and with the nights now beginning to get darker earlier, that’s only going to get worse.
“A boy across the road had said it must be distracting drivers as well. I’m not sure how he got away with doing it when putting in planning permission but I wouldn’t have thought the council would allow that.
“They’ve been up for about four weeks now, you see the guy cutting the meat and everything.
“I wouldn’t have it up in all honesty.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “Representatives of Aberdeen City Council have been in communication with the proprietor and have asked for the sign to be removed as it breaches planning policy.”
