THE UK Independence Party (UKIP) will launch a petition tomorrow (Saturday) against the council's crackdown on shopkeepers displaying goods in the street.

Members of the Euro-sceptic party's Woodford Green branch will gather the names of those opposed to the authority's move in the Broadway - where several traders have lost hundreds of pounds a week in passing trade.

The rule on external displays has been in place for several years, but shopkeepers in the Broadway - many of whom have used the practice for decades - questioned why the council has decided to clamp down on it now, when times are already hard enough for them.

Nick Jones, of UKIP, said: "There is no evidence that street displays have ever caused a problem. We want our local shops to survive and actions such as this can put local businesses at risk in these difficult economic times.

"Advertising, of which street displays are part, is an essential part of running a retail business.

"There is no evidence that street displays have ever caused a problem. We want our local shops to survive and actions such as this can put local businesses at risk in these difficult economic times.

UKIP believe that small business should be supported."