Ice-cream vans set to be BANNED from streets due to ‘unacceptable levels of nuisance’
ICE-CREAM vans are set to be banned from a number of streets due to then “unacceptable nuisance” they cause.
The iconic vehicles could be barred from 33 streets in Greenwich, South London, over environmental concerns.
The local council has raised concerns that the vans, which leave their engines running to power freezers and soft serve machines, could produce high levels of pollution.
Councillors have said that the summer staples cause “unacceptable levels of public nuisance”, the Mail reports.
They also worried that queues for ice-cream would would “clutter” popular destinations and “bottleneck” the World Heritage Site on the banks of the Thames.
The affected area covers the borough’s high street and the gardens around the Cutty Sark, as well as other tourist hotspots like the Royal Observatory and Old Royal Naval College.
Instead, there will be two new dedicated places for ice-cream vans to park.
Vendors would also be allowed into the affected streets for 15 minutes, with no return the same day.
It follows Camden Council implementing similar measures on 40 streets in their borough in 2019, citing environmental issues.
A spokesperson for Greenwich Council said: “We already welcome the trading of ice-cream vans in hundreds of locations in the borough, but itinerant ice-cream van trading – defined as trading from a vehicle which goes from place to place – can cause unacceptable levels of nuisance, as well as having a negative impact on air quality from engine idling in sensitive locations.
“This has already been restricted in some areas. The council is currently reviewing its Street and Ice-Cream Trading policy as required by the London Local Authorities Act 1990 (as amended).
“Once considered at the council’s cabinet meeting, the policy will be subject to consultation for members of the public and other stakeholders to comment”
The council’s cabinet is set to consider the proposed ban today.
It comes after one ice-cream lady revealed the secret to a perfect cone – and the annoying question that customers always ask.
Meanwhile, a social media user stunned viewers by showing them that they’d been scooping their frozen treats out of the tub wrong.