Manchester City Council secures first pedlar conviction

Manchester City Council has secured its first prosecution under new laws it was granted to crack down on illegal pedlars.

Street trader Tapha Lo of Melton Road in Cheetham Hill was found guilty in his absence and fined £525, plus £606 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge. He was prosecuted for street trading in Market Street, which the council had designated a prohibited area.

Manchester used new powers under the Manchester City Council Act 2010, which received royal assent in April this year. Bournemouth Borough Council also won similar powers at the same time.

The Act allows the local authorities to stop people using pedlars’ certificates to trade illegally in busy shopping areas. The certificates normally allow traders to sell anywhere in the country so long as they move on regularly.

Council officers can also seize goods and equipment as evidence under the Act, which also sets out what conditions a certificate holder must comply with to be seen as a pedlar and not a street trader.

“Many street traders flout the guidelines, often trading in fixed locations and sometimes selling counterfeit, substandard and potentially dangerous goods,” Manchester City Council said in a statement.

Cllr Jim Battle, Manchester’s deputy leader, said: “Illegal street traders often sell shoddy goods, undermine hard-working legitimate traders and cause an obstruction on busy streets.”