A golden opportunity to cash in on coachloads of trippers visiting Maldon during its 100th Carnival Week has been strangled by red tape.
Because there are no flags or banners in the town centre announcing Carnival Week or Saturday's parade thousands of visitors are coming and going away unaware anything special is happening.
Anita and Barry Walker, of Mill Road, said they had watched coach parties come and go without being given any hint it was Carnival Week.
Mrs Walker said when she was growing up in Maldon visitors could not help but know it was Carnival Week, "because everything happened down on Promenade Park".
Mr Walker said the lack of carnival decorations following the closure of the marine lake was losing the town a lot of visitors.
Even carnival officials admitted Maldon needed to promote itself better during the holiday season.
Red tape and health and safety regulations had killed off all attempts to adorn the High Street with bunting and banners, added the officials.
Maldon Carnival's honorary secretary Lyn Smith pointed out that there had been no carnival bunting in the town centre for three years.
Published Thursday August 5, 2004
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