Auctioneers and construction companies, as well as some B&Bs, are availing of every second telephone and ESB pole on some of the most scenic areas of the Ring of Kerry in order to attract tourist business, council officials have claimed.
On some poles it is not uncommon to see five or six large coloured plastic signs advertising sites and houses for sale in locations off the main road.
Kerry County Council is now clamping down on the practice and has issued 50 fines totalling more than €6,000 to advertisers.
"These signs are very unsightly and the practice of placing them on public property is becoming very common.
"It is a countered problem but it seems to be particularly bad on the Ring of Kerry route," Mr Liam Brosnan, litter control officer, said.
Having so many of these temporary advertising signs defeated the purpose and merely confused people, he added.
The area from Kenmare to Sneem was one of the worst affected, and the council had received a number of complaints. It was anyway obliged under the 1997 Litter Pollution Act to serve notices in order to have the signs removed.
The tourist season heralded the busiest period for illegal signs on public property, Mr Brosnan said.
Under the law, auctioneers were entitled to advertise on the property itself but had to apply for directional signs and such on public roads.
B&Bs off the beaten track pay an annual licence fee of €50 for directional signs of uniform design for which they have received planning, under the regulations.
However, some auctioneers are willing to risk the fines of €125 each because much of their business depends on off-the-road selling.
Daly Auctioneers in Kenmare said the majority of the property for sale around the Ring of Kerry was aimed at the tourist market.
Mr Mark and Mr John Daly called for the law to be applied evenly. They had taken down their signs, only to find competitors had left them on the poles.
They were then forced to put them up "and face the consequences", Mr Mark Daly said.
"It would make the Ring of Kerry look a lot better if there were no signs. Certain positions have five or six signs," Mr John Daly said.
It would not take a lot of manpower on behalf of the council to go out and take down every sign, he added.
"It will affect business. We have had a lot of referrals from tourists who wouldn't otherwise know about the property. If you are up a laneway it is not readily visible," he said.
Auctioneers could apply for a permit from the council but it was a long, arduous process.
The council said it would continue to issue signs until the practice stopped.