FARMER Barleymow may complain about red tape, but some members of the agricultural community are adept at dodging regulations.

Many drivers will have noticed advertising hoardings - often stacked on parked vehicles - popping up in Worcestershire fields over the years.

In theory signs need advertising consent under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertising) Regulations 1992.

After all, businesses in urban areas are expected to apply for permission to put up signs, and some in Worcester have been prosecuted for failing to do so.

How about our friends in the country? Well, they have found a loophole that is now widely exploited.

The law appears to provide advertising consent for signs that are erected on vehicles, providing a vehicle "is not used for display" and can be moved around.

The planners may take action if the trailer of an HGV has been uncoupled and used to host an advertisement, for example.

In practice the authorities tend to use a rule of thumb, depending on how large a sign is and whether it appears permanent.

As British agri-business wallows in depression, countrylovers can expect to see more and more signs on the landscape, advertising traditional rural pastimes such as weekly car boot sales or quad-bike racing.

And amid Government moves to deregulate controls, the NFU has provided 200 farmers with banners this month to erect in their fields.

The signs promote produce that carries a red-and-blue tractor logo and can be found in "all major supermarkets".