Agenda item

Peanut Sellers on Bridges

The Deputy Chairman questioned action that could be taken against peanut sellers on the Thames bridges. She added that effectively deterring these sellers would require a co-ordinated effort from Environmental Health, the Police, the London Fire Brigade (given that the sellers were in possession of gas cylinders) and Licensing Officers. She added that numerous residents and businesses continued to raise this as a major issue and were getting increasingly frustrated at what they perceived to be a lack of action taken.

The Deputy Chairman added that, as Westminster cracked down on this issue, the sellers seemed to have an increasing presence in the City.

In response to questions around what action could be taken against the sellers, the Comptroller and City Solicitor reported that, as this was a Level 3 offence, it could carry a fine of up to £1,000, the carts could be destroyed and, if individuals persisted to offend, the authorities could seek an injunction.

The Deputy Chairman requested that a written report on illegal trading be produced for the next Licensing Committee meeting and that this feature regularly on the agenda in order to allow Members to monitor the situation.

The Licensing Manager clarified that street trading was the responsibility of the Port Health & Environmental Services Committee. Members commented that this Committee had previously seen updates on ice cream sellers and felt strongly that street trading matters should be reported to all relevant committees to ensure sufficient oversight of the matter.

The Chairman and Deputy Chairman undertook to discuss this matter further with the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection to ascertain what future reporting lines on 'street trading' might be.

The Licensing Manager reported that Licensing Officers had responsibility for enforcing Street Trading and that they had been working alongside the City of London Police to address this matter. The City of London Police confirmed this and reported that, at present, there was increased focus on unlicensed gamblers on the bridges. The City of London Police went on to report that seven arrests had taken place on the bridges only yesterday and therefore reassured the Committee that this matter was in hand.