A YORK Christmas charity shop manager has been left "upset and angry" after being told to take down signs advertising her shop.

Alison Frankish, 22, manager of the charity Card Aid shop in St Helen's Church, St Helen's Square, was told by City of York Council to remove signs she had attached to the railings next to the church, leaving her with two free-standing boards outside.

St Helen's Church is a listed building, and although the church had given permission for signs to be put up, planning permission from the council is also required to attach signs to the building or to its railings.

The council's planning enforcement team asked Alison to remove the signs after receiving a complaint.

Alison said the shop opened on October 8 and sales dropped when she took down the signs.

A spokesperson for Card Aid said: "We would just like Alison to be able to promote charity cards. There needs to be consideration for the fact that it's a charity and it's temporary - we are also raising money for the church."

Alison said: "The banner outside was really good because it attracted people into the church.

"As far as I was concerned the signs weren't doing any harm. When I first took the signs down I noticed that sales definitely dropped.

"It hasn't been made clear to me what I can and can't do. I wanted someone from the council to come in and explain that to me."

But Alison, who took on the job of managing the shop under a Charity Advisory Trust Graduate Internship scheme, said: "I would have thought they'd turn a blind eye to something that is temporary and helping all these different charities."

A council spokesperson said: "It is always difficult striking a balance between the needs of the business community and the visual aesthetics of York's historic buildings.

"We do receive a number of complaints from both sides of the argument and have to try to balance both, but we are looking at ways of making the complex legislation more straightforward and easy to understand."

Updated: 10:42 Thursday, November 27, 2003