A ROW has erupted between two town centre bars over an unpaid bill to repair a damaged sign.

Geoff Sherwood of Gangsters Pool and Snooker Club in Havelock Square claims builders working on the Apartment in November damaged the sign at the front of his bar.

And he says the work cost him thousands of pounds worth of business because it blocked off the entrance to Gangsters.

Mr Sherwood said that after the work the Apartment promised to buy him a new sign to make up for the inconvenience they caused him.

But Sabine Druce, business development manager of the Apartment, said their builders did not break the sign and she only offered to pay for it as a gesture of goodwill to keep the peace with the bar and restaurant's new neighbours.

But when several weeks later she read about the Apartment being criticised by Mr Sherwood in the Evening Advertiser, she decided not to pay.

She said: "Mr Sherwood says people thought his pool club was closed because of our work, but we erected big signs on our hoardings stating that it was still open so that isn't true.

"We made the offer as a gesture of goodwill, so we didn't expect to read about our venue being buried in the local paper he can't expect goodwill if he is going to run off and rubbish us in the press.

"I categorically deny that we broke the sign we only offered to fix it because it was looking tatty and we certainly won't be paying him for it."

But Mr Sherwood says the Apartment did break the sign and plans to take them to the Small Claims Court if they do not pay the £148 bill.

He says regular customers were ringing and saying they couldn't get in, meaning he had to let them in down the back stairs.

He added: "They agreed to decorate the front of my building and pay for a new sign.

"But when I spoke to the manager she said that after all the hassle we gave them in the paper they have decided not to pay."

And the row seems set to rumble on the Apartment is due to submit a planning application for a roof terrace and Mr Sherwood has said that he is already planning to object because it would look directly into his office.