THIEVES have made off with a promotional banner - worth £350 - advertising this week's Portishead carnival. The 20ft long banner

THIEVES have made off with a promotional banner - worth £350 - advertising this week's Portishead carnival.The 20ft long banner, which was hung on the Portbury footbridge just off the motorway roundabout, was snatched last week.The banner was not insured and now organisers of the annual parade, which takes place on Saturday are facing having to use vital cash raised at the charity event to replace it.Portishead Carnival co-organiser Jemma Cooper said: "The banner was attached to the footbridge by a number of ropes and it took us nearly an hour to put it up, so it must have been difficult to steal."The thieves must have been there for some time and in such a busy area, someone must have seen something."It is too late to get a new banner now for the bridge so we have lost a vital advertising spot for the event."Miss Cooper said money raised for charity at the annual carnival may now have to be spent on replacing the banner.She added: "It is a real shame because that money could have gone to a good cause, like the health centre."Unless someone offers to replace it for us, some money raised at the carnival will have to go on replacing the banner rather than on good causes."This year the carnival procession will leave the Lake Grounds at 12noon and snake its way through the town to the flower show field.Music will be provided by The Wurzels and 12-piece soul band Souled Out as well as The Shenanigans, Portishead Community Choir and the Cheryl Rowlands School of Dance.There will also be a large variety of stalls, a beer tent and a fun fair.Miss Cooper said: "Despite the blow of having our banner stolen, the carnival will be a fantastic event, as ever, with lots of floats in the parade and activities and stalls at the flower show field.