OFFICIALS in Wycombe District Council's planning department have refused to let a businessman put up security fencing around his factory to keep out vandals unless he agrees to paint it black.

Peter Whitekar, managing director of electronics firm Deeter, in Baker Street, High Wycombe, says the area is ridden with petty crime, and he is furious that the council is digging its heels in.

He fumed: "Don't the planners in Wycombe District Council, who are paid by us the local residents and businesses have anything better to do with their time?

"They should be concentrating their efforts on smartening up the area, by pulling the weeds out of the pavements, repairing the pot holes in the pavements and roads outside my factory and installing CCTV to improve the security.

"Imposing conditions such as painting the fence black when no one else here has a black fence is completely stupid."

The Deeter Group, which has been in High Wycombe for 20 years, moved recently from Cressex to the factory unit off Desborough Road.

"Very quickly we realised that, although the location was ideal in most respects, the area we had moved into was rife with petty crime," he said.

Since the move, the factory and its employees have been targeted by burglars, car thieves, vandals spraying graffiti and arsonists. Mr Whiteaker says the area is also used by drug takers and dealers.

In September he submitted a planning application for the fence, but was told by a planning officer on Wednesday it would have to be black meaning a costly annual maintenance bill for repainting.

"I consider their argument ridiculous," he said. "If the planning department gets their way this will mean that in this area there is a blue fence, a couple of black fences, a yellow fence and the rest plain galvanised steel. This whole affair is farcical."

A spokesman for the council said: "Our requirement, that the bright silver galvanised steel fence be coated black, is to reduce the harshness of its appearance and to have it in keeping with the surrounding street lighting and bollards which are black.

"We want to balance the need for security with an acceptable visual impact on the surroundings.

"Significant steps are being taken by Thames Valley Police, local businesses, residents and both local authorities to tackle issues of vandalism, anti-social behaviour and criminal activity."