Plans to ban ice cream vans blasted by the government who tell meddling Labour council to scrap the move
KILL-JOY plans to ban ice cream vans from some streets should be put scrapped, the Government says.
Labour-run Greenwich Council has sparked national outrage with its barmy bid to stop Mr Whippys trading across more than 30 streets in London.
Senior minister Michael Gove has now waded into the row, writing to the borough to demand they put their flaky plan on ice.
A government source said: “Ice cream vans are part of our summer tradition and our soft scoop street sellers already have 99 problems – a pitch shouldn’t be one.”
In the letter, Mr Gove brands the policy “disappointing” as he joins the fight to save our ice creams.
He writes: “Ice cream vans are a great British summer tradition, and enjoying a 99 flake from an ice cream van is a simple, British summertime pleasure that should not be restricted by needless red tape.
“I recognise this is a local issue, but I would strongly urge you to reconsider this proposal and allow ice cream vans to continue trading as freely as possible.”
Greenwich council say ice cream vans are a nuisance because they keep their engines running while they are stationary to power their Mr Whippy machines.
This worsens air pollution, they say.
But other top Tories piled in saying there are hundreds of thousands of reasons not to ban them.
All three Conservative candidates vying to be London Mayor attacked the ban.
Dan Korski said: “It’s sweltering this weekend and you can be 99% certain my kids, like thousands of others all over the capital, will be waiting excitedly to hear the familiar jingle of an ice cream van pulling into our street.
“It is a sight witnessed across London since the 1950s and, frankly, the fun-sucking council’s trying to outlaw this joyous spectacle in a long list of locations need to cool off and put their bans on ice.”
Susan Hall siad: Sun ice cream: “This unnecessary attack on our iconic ice cream vans is yet another example of council killjoys overreacting.
“If I’m London mayor, I’ll do everything I can to save the ice cream van and support small businesses”
Mozammel Hossain said: “Apparently not even ice cream is safe in Sadiq Khan’s London.”
A Greenwich Council spokesman said: “This policy ensures ice cream can still be sold at locations across the borough whilst ensuring sensitive locations – such as our beautiful UNESCO world heritage site – which attracts thousands of visitors each year – is protected, as well as stopping unnecessary engine idling and narrow pavements being blocked by queues.”