Dundee City Council has begun a safety blitz to rid the city's streets of hazards to disabled people.

A-boards and other signs obstructing the streets are banned but some city businesses still use them.

The council push will begin with a letter to retailers, cafes and other businesses asking them to ensure there are no obstacles outside their premises.

Will Dawson convener of Dundee City Council's city development committee said: "It has long been council policy, and in fact the law of the land, that nothing should be put in a road or pavement that causes an obstruction, and over the years we have periodically inspected for them as well as acting on complaints.

"As a last resort we have the power to have obstructions removed but it is something that I'm sure everyone would prefer retailers to act responsibly on.

"We fully understand the business community's need to advertise and ensure that their customers know what they have to offer.

"However, as a council we also have to balance the needs of people with visual impairment, mobility issues and parents with buggies, all of whom can find various forms of pavement advertising, especially A-boards, a challenge to negotiate."

Fiona Finlayson, acting manager of Dundee Blind Society said: "We are completely behind Dundee City Council's efforts to rid our streets of what are very real hazards to blind and partially sighted people.

"It is a significant enough challenge for some people with impaired sight to simply walk down a busy city centre pavement without having to negotiate an assault course of A-boards and other signage.

"We welcome the council's efforts to help make our streets less dangerous and support their call to businesses to be more mindful of every member of our community."

A spokesperson for sight loss charity RNIB Scotland said: "A third of blind and partially sighted people we surveyed last year told us they'd been injured by pavement obstacles when walking outside.

"Some felt so intimidated they stayed isolated in their homes.

"Advertising boards, bollards, bins, cars parked on pavements and 'shared space' schemes were the most common obstacles."

As part of its Streets Ahead survey, Guide Dogs for the Blind said: "Long cane users find the slalom created by randomly placed obstacles such as shop advertising boards disorientating and anecdotes of injuries sustained from collisions with such items are unfortunately all too frequent."