Olympic torch relay: Businesses warned about adverts
Businesses along the route of the Olympic torch relay in North Yorkshire have been warned against unauthorised advertising.
The London Olympic Games Organising Committee (Locog) guidelines strictly forbid so-called "ambush" marketing.
Councils in North Yorkshire have warned they will enforce the guidelines when the relay arrives on 18 June.
Ambush marketing is where a company tries to associate with an event without paying a sponsorship fee.
The guidelines say Locog wants everyone to get excited and engaged with the relay including local businesses.
But they warn: "The key thing is to ensure it is done in a way that does not promote your business in association with the Games."
The City of York Council said it would have stewards along the route of the relay who would "move-on" any unauthorised business trying to cash-in on the event.
Gill Cooper, head of arts and culture with the authority, said: "What we've had from Locog is a very clear instruction that any attempt at ambush marketing must have been removed from the streets the relay is going down."
Scarborough Borough Council said it had sent a copy of the guidelines to 400 businesses along the relay route in the area.
Locog said it is obligated to protect the Olympic brand.
It also said ambush marketing undermined the major sponsorship deals without which the relay could not have been staged.