Flake £3.50?!?!?!

Hi Zoe

Just to show that we can get action on this...

The Council has stepped up the enforcement and six ice cream vans were confiscated at the weekend by the Council including two at Tooley Street and taken back to Chaplin.

I was sent a photo of them by an officer who'd arrived at work and said:

"We had a busy weekend tackling illegal street trading up in bankside after lots of complaints about ice cream vans and I arrived at work to see the attached sight!

Lots of prosecuting coming up in the next couple of months."

Tim


Cllr Tim McNally
Executive Member for Resources
LibDem Member for Chaucer Ward

Hurrah! Thanks, Tim! Realistically, towing is the only thing that will discourage the vendors. Or ticketing them every 10 minutes.

I'm really pleased as well, thanks so much Tim. I hope they continue to tow them when they park irresponsibly, though that's a lot of wasted ice cream.

Could you work wonders and also sort out the illegal lorry parking on the cycle route along the south bank?

The large building site opposite the statue that moves (outside the 'JOY' shop that sells odd stuff and today has a Ford Ka in the window) seems to cause a lot of this.

For those with an interest in the technical aspects, the ice cream vans' owners are now being prosecuted under Section 38 of the London Local Authorities Act 1990 (as amended).

Confiscating the vans seems to be the most effective approach as ticketing just encourages them to drive around the corner and carry on trading.

On the lorry parking on the cycle route I will also ask officers to do some enforcement. If you're passing and can take a photo Zoe then please MMS or email it to me, thanks. With the Thames Path closing at Blackfriars it's more important than ever to have the Bankside cycle path clear and safe.

Tim


Cllr Tim McNally
Executive Member for Resources
LibDem Member for Chaucer Ward

Ice cream van back on Tooley Street yesterday.

... and at Bankside. I suspect this is an endless game of cat and mouse.

HooRah Tim!

A new van replaced the one towed away from Bankside within 10 minutes, and at least 2 vans have continued there every day all day. So Tim, sorry, but it doesn't look as though confiscation stops them. If the law doesn't work, can't the Council issue a bye law or do something that's different from the endless cat and mouse game?

Walked from County Hall to Tower Bridge yesterday to see all that was going on re Thames Festival. Lost count of the number of ice cream vans parked on [or close to] South Bank all charging £3+ for their ice creams.

Is not easy trying to tell a 7yo why she cannot have a cornet from one of the vans.

Luckily, found a kiosk that was selling a 99 with sauce etc for £1.50 close to National Theatre - and it seemed to have more ice cream as well.

Am sure the authorities must have turned a blind eye to the vans over the weekend, which is such a shame.

I was at the Scoop yesterday for the Kid's choir - It was brilliant, loads of stalls, Korean food etc, but what stood out, visually, odorifically and auditory, peeking over the wall at the top... One of those vans. I always had simpathy for Don Quixote, but I am starting to understand him now...