The Nationalist Party said today that it is removing its billboards after a court rejected its application for them to be retained.

In a statement, the party said it respected the court's decision.

It insisted, however, that a legal notice introduced by the government a few months ago to regulate the billboards was a measure to gag it. The legal notice had also placed additional financial costs on the business community, it said.

The Opposition is challenging the legal notice in Parliament. 

In its decision this morning, Mr Justice Anthony Ellul said the PN billboards had been set up illegally.

He said the regulations issued by the government were needed because billboards had issued all over the island in a disorderly manner.