New protest poster uses Frank Sinatra to hit out at bins

But the Copymade printing shop in Haymarket, which has put a smile on the face of many a passer-by with its humorous anti-trams posters, has announced their latest effort will be their last.

And what better figure to use for their swan song than the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra.

The “Franks for Nowt” poster features specially adapted lyrics from the hit My Way. And this time, Copymade has gone a step further and poked fun at the  Capital’s latest embarrassment – the bins.

Grant McKeeman, who runs the West Maitland Street firm, said: “We’re really against the trams and there’s another dig there against the bins.

“People are loving the poster – they are taking photos but the only problem is they can’t get far enough back to take one properly because they are hemmed in by the tram works.

“No-one is passing by because the street is virtually on lock down.”

The printers found themselves between the devil and the deep blue sea when the tram works began affecting their business.

In March, Mr McKeeman said the works were costing his business £2000 a week.

Previous posters by Copymade include the “Silence of the Trams” and “You’ll have had your Trams”.

Mr McKeeman said: “We have a new store at Clifton Street which is an extension of the Copymade printing shop – ironically once the trams are here it’s gong to be on the tram stop.”

Despite the rails having been laid on the road, Mr McKeeman is not convinced the best is yet to come.

“If the council said they were going to drop the trams I would be the happiest man alive.”

Business partner Stuart Wardell, who penned the lyrics, said: “I came up with Sinatra My Way because it’s the last one, that was the idea behind it.

“We’ve put together a booklet of all of the tram posters which is available if anyone wants one. I think we just have to get on with it – the trams are there and they’re still costing us money. Why they did not just focus on the centre of the city I don’t know – it has cost us a fortune.”

John Carson, who ran on an anti-trams ticket for the city centre by-election, said: “If you didn’t laugh, you’d cry. The posters these guys put up are very amusing but they are very annoyed as well.

“When you go to the West End, you can’t walk on the pavements because they have all been dug up – Shandwick Place is like a forest of to-let signs.

“The council are digging up the streets again and putting in ducts that should have been put in three years ago.

“It’s very sad, but the council  obviously don’t care.”

• COPYMADE first launched its poster campaign against the tram project in 2009, after the business was among many affected by the construction of the scheme.

The first poster, Tramspotting, was based on the iconic Trainspotting poster and listed some of the businesses affected by the work.

The Silence of the Trams, depicting Hannibal Lecter, from The Silence of the Lambs, was followed up with a take on the Planes, Trains and Automobiles poster called Plans, Trams and Imbeciles.

Another favourite was The Traminator, below, featuring the classic line “Tie’ll be back”.