Estate agents in the Lake District have been warned that they could face legal proceedings if they do not do a better job of complying with advertising regulations, an official has warned.

The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) said that, it had launched a campaign to make people aware of regulations governing the display of signs in the countryside over the past two years and had received a good general response.

However, David McGowan, head of development management for the LDNPA, said that while many groups, such as the organisers of outdoor events in the region, had made an effort to cooperate with them, some had failed to do so.

"I have been disappointed by the patchy response from other groups – such as estate agents. We will have to look at this again later in the year, with the possibility of us having to take direct legal action to remove illegal estate agent boards," he said.

Authorities in the Lake District aren''t the only ones cracking down on display boards, with councillors in Brighton planning to ban them on roads and squares leading to the seafront.