Warning Over Illegal Ice Cream in the East Riding

Friday, 21 May 2021 08:18

By Matthew Pells

Officers from East Riding of Yorkshire Council are urging people to check the ice cream van they are buying from is licensed correctly.

As the summer months approach and the weather eventually starts to warm up, an ice cream can be an ideal way to cool down.

But officers from East Riding of Yorkshire Council are urging people to check the ice cream van they are buying from is licensed correctly.

Mobile ice cream vans need a licence to trade within the East Riding and that licence also has a number of conditions attached to it in order to protect the public.

All licensed street traders in the East Riding area are subject to a satisfactory police check, need to have a food safety qualification and should be registered under the food hygiene rating scheme, they need to have public liability insurance while all vehicles are checked to ensure they have a current MOT.

Licensed street traders are also issued with a pink and white exterior plate which is displayed on the vehicle along with an identification badge so the public can identify a genuine trader.

Only those who are trading as part of local fetes, festivals or markets are exempt from needing a licence.

Those who operate without a licence can face prosecution and last month the council successfully prosecuted Rahayer Omer, a mobile ice cream trader from Dale Street, Scunthorpe, who was persistently found to be trading without a licence at a number of locations across the East Riding despite being given warnings to cease trading by licensing officers.

Omar, who has previous history of unlicensed street trading activity, was found guilty at Hull Magistrates’ Court of four street trading offences and was fined £60 for each offence, has to pay a victim surcharge of £34 and full costs of £1,407.95.

Louise Wilson, licensing manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council said:

“As we move into the summer months there will be an increase in the number of mobile ice cream vans on our streets as well as at seaside resorts.

“While the very large majority of those operating will be legitimate there will be some who will be operating without the correct licences.

“Not only are they taking trade away from the genuine businesses, they could also be posing a potential health risk to the public as they may not have the correct food registration in place or have had the relevant food safety checks.

“They could also pose a safety risk as, unlike our licensed traders, their backgrounds are not checked by the council.

“If we find traders without a licence in place we will look to prosecute and I would ask people to be vigilant and if they see a mobile ice cream van operating without a pink and white plate on display to contact the council’s licensing team.”