Pictured above: Alex Hopkins

The boss of one of Birmingham's oldest manufacturing companies has attacked a local authority which told a businessman to remove the Victorian awning outside his antique shop on health and safety grounds.

Michael Lojko, who has run an antiques shop in Church Street, Trowbridge for 12 years, has been ordered to take down his 19th century awning by Wiltshire Council. Following a visit by a Wiltshire Council inspector Mr Lojko was told his awning could present a danger to shoppers.

But Alex Hopkins, managing director of Aston-based Hopkins which has revived the manufacture of the old-fashioned shop blind called the ruling "crazy".

He said the awnings were never a problem for the Victorians so why should they be an issue in 21st century Wiltshire.

"I'd like to see statistics on how many people have been injured by a Victorian shop awning. I suspect it's none at all - far less than the number of people injured tripping over the council's uneven footpaths. They should concentrate on their own responsibilities rather than interfering with other people's livelihoods under the guise of spurious health and safety rules," he said.

He added, "The Victorian shop awning is making a comeback and enhances a street scene considerably. Most local authorities appreciate this and are quite happy to see them installed. This particular Wiltshire Council inspector obviously takes a different view which, perversely, is actually against the council's own guidelines.

"Wiltshire Council's own design guide states very clearly that 'Where the existing shop front or shop sign contributes to the character of the building or surrounding area it should be retained. Other shop fronts which, although altered, still retain much of their original character and which contribute to the historic ambience of the area, should also be retained. Historic adverts, features or signs, which have a long association with the building should be retained where possible.' In this case it seems the council was not even following its own guidelines."

Hopkins has been supplying traditional awnings for several years, and sales of shop blinds and fittings have trebled in the last year.

The blinds died out from British street scenes after the war, but thanks to the trend towards café culture, they are now seeing a re-emergence. That trend has meant a big business boost for Hopkins, which has been manufacturing in Birmingham since 1750.

"Local authorities have been concentrating on improving high streets over recent years, and that, combined with the smoking ban, has seen a jump in demand for traditional pub and shop blind awnings," said Alex Hopkins.

"Traditionally, the blinds would have been made by a blacksmith, but using modern technology we can produce high quality blinds, individually made to customer specifications, in a fraction of the time,

"If anyone is worried about whether or not their awning constitutes a safety hazard, we are quite happy to come out and inspect it, and make any repairs or parts replacements necessary," he said.

Hopkins, based in Jameson Road, specialises in making and supplying high quality, bespoke blind, awning and shutter rollers and associated components. The company, which has been in Birmingham since the 18th century, also has a precision engineering division. The family-owned company combines the very best traditional Birmingham engineering skills with the latest computer controlled precision manufacturing.