A London ice cream vendor said he will defy a ban on trading in a council crackdown on air pollution and simply pay a £90 fine each day instead.
Camden Council said yesterday it was installing “no ice cream trading” signs for the first time in 40 streets, as well as increasing enforcement officer patrols and issuing fines to sellers who break the rules.
Westminster council will also be enforcing trading laws to prevent ice cream sellers operating in some of its streets near schools.
But angry ice cream vendors hit back at having their "bread and butter" taken from them. Vendors are accusing authorities of unfairly targeting their livelihood without proper consultation on alternative options.
The vans need to keep their engines running even while stationary in order to power on-board freezers and a whippy machine.
Most run on diesel and release black carbon, a sooty substance that scientists claim can stunt the growth of children’s lungs and trigger asthma attacks.
A Westminster Council spokesman said: "Idling vehicles pump out harmful chemicals like NO2 [nitrogen dioxide] and black carbon which is why the council is introducing measures to reduce and remove this traffic around schools and other public spaces.”
He added that the council has a general "no idle vehicle" campaign, and that, "we do not want to pick on ice cream vans at all."
Cengiz Ahmet, who runs the 25-year-old family business, Twin Top Ice Cream in Camden felt "targetted" by the council as lorries, vans and taxis pass through the borough every day.
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He said: “What is more harmless, more innocent or more traditional than an ice cream cone being sold to the public?
““We are not there to harm anybody, but earn a living and get by.
“We are only going out onto the streets 6 months a year – some only 4 – and we are the ones polluting Camden?
“If they want clear up Camden’s pollution then they should pedestrianize the whole area."
Mr Ahmet's trading area on Camden High Street means he will be directly affected by the ban.
“We are going to have to keep going out and paying the £90. I do not have a choice," he said. "This is my bread and butter."
Daniel Elsey, director of Ice Cream Couture, operating three vans in the city claimed the ban was decided "without any consultation with those who have these jobs."
"It is fine that there is obviously concerns over pollution but surely there should be some something put in place to look for alternatives for those whose livelihoods depend on their ice cream vans?
"Ice cream vans is a long standing tradition that supervises people's livelihoods.
"No alternative that has been provided for those to pay their mortgages and get by."
Onur Ali, who owns Honours ice cream with his wife and runs two vans in Greenwich said he is “very nervous” that the ban may come their way.
He said: “We are very much worried that the ban may come our way because we ended up spending a lot on our vans and the regulations change overnight."
Mr Ali took out a loan to finance a new Euro 5 Mercedes van in 2006 and refinanced his house to buy an updated Euro 6 van in 2017 in order to meet updated regulations.
“You can see the signs that it could come down our way because the government is under pressure to make changes.
“While we invested in new vehicles, the regulations are then changed. I think the electric is the way it’s going but they will also be much more expensive.”
A Camden Council spokesperson said residents had been saying that ice cream vans were sitting around, giving off exhaust fumes, adding: "their concerns are not just about air quality, but also traffic control.”
“There is going to be consultation this year about developing five areas in the borough where ice cream trading will be permitted throughout the day.
“We will be coming from a perspective that the engines must be switched off but details need to be worked through.
“This isn’t a blanket ban."
The Royal Parks have an ongoing ban on commercial trading and idle vehicles.
A spokesperson said: “We have a total of five mobile ice cream vans in our central parks which are part of our mobile kiosk catering contract.
"They are either battery powered or plugged into an electrical supply – with the first battery-powered van introduced to Kensington Gardens in 2016.
“One van, which is only bought into the parks during peak months, still runs off its engine, but is being phased out and replaced with a battery-powered unit in the coming months.”