Anger is growing about the way shoppers are targeted by businesses advertising at the clock tower.

Most days there are inflatable marquees set up around the area at the junction of Broadway and High Street, Sheerness.

It was an issue raised by Sheila Smith on behalf of the Sheerness Traders’ Association at the Local Engagement Forum (LEF) meeting in the town last Tuesday.

The stalls are licensed by Kent County Council (KCC) so are not breaking rules, but they are not popular.

Mrs Smith, who runs Rainbow Jewellers at the clock tower, said that they were causing a nuisance and the staff were pestering people.

At the meeting she said: “It’s affecting custom because people are going out of town [to avoid them].

“[Shoppers] can’t sit on the benches because they are approached.

“They are not supposed to harass people but they do – they chase after people and go up to them on the benches.

“We are getting complaints from traders and members of the public that they can’t walk down the street without being pestered. They are getting fed up with it.

“We want to encourage people into the town not frighten them out of it.”

Mrs Smith says she has even seen traders take people into her shop’s doorway to get them out of the rain and try to sell their products.

Cllr Steve Worrall has also complained about it, as he says the area was designed specifically for people to sit in safety and chat but not for trading.

“They are a damn nuisance and the public don’t like them,” he said.

Swale council’s regeneration officer Jill Read said at the LEF she has spoken to KCC about it and they said they would speak to the companies when they book the space.

Rules about when they can have the site will also be changing from September, although there will be some traders there throughout the summer because they have already booked.

She said: “There have been issues and we are trying to deal with it.”