Several giant billboards in Subang Jaya and along Jalan Subang in Shah Alam came crashing down yesterday, narrowly missing motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians in the vicinity, said the Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam (Cassa).

In a statement, Cassa president/legal advisor Jacob George urged Housing and Local Government Ministry to review approval procedures for these billboards and to draw up strict guidelines.

"Stiff penalties should be imposed on companies erecting giant billboards in the event these fall on people," he said.

He claimed that hundreds of billboards have been approved and erected in public areas without taking into consideration feedback from residents and other interest groups.

George alleged that local authorities were prompted more by monetary considerations than community safety when approving the billboards.

"Billboards seem to be erected indiscriminately at almost every area and in several locations visited by us in the Klang Valley," he said.

"They are erected without proper safety features that could help prevent the huge steel structures from collapsing and falling on road users."