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Southwark ice cream van ban comes into force

London SE1 website team

Itinerant ice cream selling has now been banned in Southwark's riverside streets from Oxo Tower Wharf in the west to St Saviour's Dock in the east.

Despite the ban an ice cream van was operating outside Shakespeare's Globe on Monday morning

Income from a licensed trading pitch on the riverside walkway at Bankside will fund the enforcement of the wider ban

The ban, which has been under discussion for many years, was finally confirmed by Southwark Council's licensing committee in September.

An earlier attempt to implement the ban was thwarted when the council failed to follow the proper procedures.

Residents in the Bankside area have been complaining about noise and nuisance from ice cream vans and other traders for at least 10 years.

The southern boundary of the zone covered by the ban on itinerant ice cream selling is Southwark Street and St Thomas Street.

In future street trading will be restricted to two licensed pitches outside Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe.

Licensed street busking will be confined to a spot just west of the Millennium Bridge.

Southwark Council is inviting applications from street traders who wish to operate on Bankside. A six-month pilot begins on 1 December.

Income from the new licenced pitches will fund the enforcement on the ban on itinerant ice cream trading.

Traders interested in applying for the six-month licence should register their interest with [email protected] by Friday 5 November.