A PAIR of street traders who illegally sold burgers and hot dogs on the day thousands of fans flooded Manchester for the Uefa Cup Final have been prosecuted.
John Calder, 56, of Surrey Road, Blackley, and John Simpson, 61, of Barcombe Walk, Harpurhey, were fined £1,000 each by Manchester magistrates.
They were each also ordered to pay more than £200 costs and victim surcharges of £15 after charges of unauthorised street trading were prove in their absence.
The two had set up a potentially lucrative pitch, in Ancoats on May 14, without a licence.
They began selling deep-fried snacks at Pollard Street, where thousands of Glasgow Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg fans passed by as they milled between the city centre and the City of Manchester Stadium.
But by 2.15pm, they had been spotted by a council enforcement officer.
The Uefa Cup Final saw an estimated 200,000 Scots and at least 10,000 Russians descend on the city, resulting in £25m bonanza for city businesses like hotels, off-licences and fast food vendors.
Meanwhile, Manchester Council is fighting for new powers to crack down on those who abuse licences and police pedlars' certificates.
Pedlars' certificates allow individuals to trade freely without a permanent stall for up to 20 minutes on one spot. But many street sellers flout guidelines by staying on a patch longer than 20 minutes, often selling dodgy goods.
Currently, local authorities must trail pedlars over a period of time to confirm if they are operating illegally before pursuing a prosecution.
But councils lose out because the costs awarded in court are lower than the cost of securing a prosecution.
A Pedlars Bill - also backed by Reading, Bournemouth, Canterbury, Nottingham, and Leeds - would give councils powers to seize goods belonging to illegal street traders as well as issue fixed penalty fines.
A debate is to be held in the House of Commons on October 29. For the bill to be passed at least 100 MPs must vote in favour of it.
Hazel Harding, of the safer communities board of the Local Government Association, which represents more than 400 councils in England and Wales, said: "The view of pedlars as harmless rogue Del Boy types is long gone.
"Many operate in packs, sometimes linked to local criminal gangs, obstructing passers-by and using intimidating and threatening behaviour."
Tweet
£1,000 fine for hot-dog frauds
October 17, 2008
Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
thaitanium (17/10/2008 at 06:58)
Since when have hamburgers become an health food?
Ever seen the list of igredients that go into these things? I have, I wouldn;t give them to my dog
he has better taste anyway.
Disgusting things and ever wondered why they are cheap?
Beaufort (17/10/2008 at 09:50)
On a day when people were rioting (watch the video clip again) and don't start on this 'it was only a small minority', on a day when booze was being sold at 6.30am, supporters were drunk and incapable (arrestable offence), drinking in public (arrestable offence), urinating in public (arrestable offence), smashing glasses (arrestable offence), littering (on the spot fine), singing racist songs (cautionable), smoking in pubs (on the spot fine) and our city was rampaged through by these animals with hardly any arrests whatsoever what do we do? Fine two blokes £1000 each for selling hotdogs!
You really couldn't make it up. Watch the rioting and then think what we did. Areested two blokes for selling hotdogs!
What harm were they doing compared to the behaviour of MOST of the Rangers fans?
It's typical of this country. A few weeks back I was in a road rage incident and the police didn't want to know. However, down south my car was photographed slightly stopped in a box junction (had to stop to let an old bloke cross) and theywant £80 fine.
They go after soft targets.
PW, Manchester (17/10/2008 at 10:13)
Kiwi-blue, Christchurch NZ (17/10/2008 at 10:13)
Laura Norder, Didsbury (17/10/2008 at 10:55)
Well that would be a first.
"On a day when people were rioting (watch the video clip again) and don't start on this 'it was only a small minority', on a day when booze was being sold at 6.30am, supporters were drunk and incapable (arrestable offence), drinking in public (arrestable offence), urinating in public (arrestable offence), smashing glasses (arrestable offence), littering (on the spot fine), singing racist songs (cautionable), smoking in pubs (on the spot fine) and our city was rampaged through by these animals with hardly any arrests whatsoever what do we do? Fine two blokes £1000 each for selling hotdogs!"
And you witnessed all of this, I suppose? Absolute tosh!
"You really couldn't make it up."
It appears you could.
"Watch the rioting and then think what we did. Areested two blokes for selling hotdogs!"
Methinks you protesteth too much - were you one of the vendors?
"What harm were they doing compared to the behaviour of MOST of the Rangers fans?"
Selling contaminated goods for one - would you eat this type of 'fast food? Maybe best not to incriminate yourself. ;-)
"It's typical of this country. A few weeks back I was in a road rage incident and the police didn't want to know. However, down south my car was photographed slightly stopped in a box junction (had to stop to let an old bloke cross) and theywant £80 fine."
At last! We get to the crux of your rant. You break the law, get caught, and now you want the rest of the world to hold your hand in court.
"They go after soft targets."
Beaufort,
None softer than those that believe that laws only apply to everyone else.
curiousyellow, Rusholme (17/10/2008 at 11:14)
Laura Norder, Didsbury (17/10/2008 at 11:43)
Mmmm... are you and Beaufort an 'item'?
Beaufort (17/10/2008 at 12:00)
I witnessed two men unrinating against a shop window when their were children on the other side of it inside the shop, sectarian chanting, drunk people at 9am, absolute carnage on the streets, a sea of beer cans littering the floor, and the pub I was in had to close because of a fight. Why did the police let them get away with it?
I asked one copper and he said it was 'sensitive policing'. You can punch, kick, swear, vomit, urinate, steal etc and the police turn a blind eye but woe betide he who sells sausages without a licence.
It's like witnessing a murder, the murderer drives off and you caution him for having a faulty indicator.
Celtic are down here soon too. Last time they were here the in-fashion seemed to be 'Bobby Sands RIP' t-shirts and they brought with them a repetoir of anti-English songs.
Hot Dog's! I've been telling my co-workers about that this morning and they too are furious about this.
Laura Norder, Didsbury (17/10/2008 at 12:31)
Playground stuff that I'll let pass, but moving on...
"I witnessed two men unrinating against a shop window when their were children on the other side of it inside the shop, sectarian chanting, drunk people at 9am, absolute carnage on the streets, a sea of beer cans littering the floor, and the pub I was in had to close because of a fight. Why did the police let them get away with it?"
Do you live in a bubble?
Most of what you claim to have seen, can be witnessed in most town and city centres across the UK every weekend... but that wouldn't allow you to be morally - yeh, right - outraged, would it?
"I asked one copper and he said it was 'sensitive policing'."
Seems like a fairly reasonable answer to me. The last thing General Custer needed was more 'Indians'.
"You can punch, kick, swear, vomit, urinate, steal etc and the police turn a blind eye but woe betide he who sells sausages without a licence."
We're back - in a very convoluted way - to the fact you broke the law and don't want to take the punishment, aren't we?
"It's like witnessing a murder, the murderer drives off and you caution him for having a faulty indicator."
Ludicrous comment - seen many murders, have you?
Bean B4, manchester (17/10/2008 at 12:38)
People were hungry, they fed them - modern Jesus if you ask me, although burger in a bun isn't quite the same as loaves and fishes.
'Laura' is a bloke who works for MCC legal dept.
Mr Manchester (17/10/2008 at 12:41)
Mr Manchester (17/10/2008 at 12:59)
Beaufort (17/10/2008 at 13:01)
Well a few hundred thousand Rangers fans operated in packs, obstructed passers-by and used intimidating and threatening behaviour and much worse but a blind eye was turned.
I am seething about this. If it was a normal day then fine but look at what else was going on.
Something must be done.
Mr Manchester (17/10/2008 at 13:13)
sallyg, Lancs (17/10/2008 at 13:52)
And what's all this about selling contaminated goods? They weren't prosecuted for and found guilty of selling contaminated goods. They were operating without a licence - that's all.
Surely had there been a problem with their produce, they'd have been prosecuted for that too?
You've made a mountain out of a molehill, MEN. Again.
disillusioned, but optimistic, Sth Mcr (17/10/2008 at 14:05)
She/he seems to spend a lot of time here rather than working. Hope she/he is not paid using our tax dollars.
Marc (17/10/2008 at 14:07)
Laura Norder, Didsbury (17/10/2008 at 14:25)
Drat - outed!
I'm just saving enough money - from my huge council salary, thank you all - for the op, then I'll be hawking myself on Manchester street corners.
Enjoy.
Mr Manchester (17/10/2008 at 14:36)
Beaufort (17/10/2008 at 14:41)
Hundreds of thousands are breaking the law and causing mayhem and what do we do? Arrest two hotdog vendors because they didn't have the correct paperwork! You really couldn't make it up.
Laura Norder, Didsbury (17/10/2008 at 14:49)
If you have studied psychology - and paid for it - I'd demand a refund.
Anyway, according to some posters on here, 'no one' works for Manchester City Council.
(They couldn't afford me and my holidays.) ;-)
Mr Manchester (17/10/2008 at 15:30)
No, English and then Publishing Studies for me. I will, however, require a partial reduction in my council tax for paying for your web-surf time in the Legal Dept. though.
Laura Norder, Didsbury (17/10/2008 at 16:43)
No, English and then Publishing Studies for me. I will, however, require a partial reduction in my council tax for paying for your web-surf time in the Legal Dept. though." - Mr Manchester,
I wish you well in your vain and forlorn hope of squeezing monies from Manchester City Council, for the time I spend 'surfing'.
I don't know where some of you lot get your daft ideas and theories from... but they do make me chuckle.
(For the record, I'm sat at my desk drinking a beer. Cheers!)
Beaufort (17/10/2008 at 17:06)
Once the fist of authority comes down like an iron forge on the meaker man whilst ignoring the growing might of the wanton feral man then society hath broken. No longer doth the meaker man support society but he too doth join the ferality S. Perduson 1971.
Laura Norder, Didsbury (17/10/2008 at 17:32)
Are you on something? Up the dosage.
"Once the fist of authority comes down like an iron forge on the meaker man whilst ignoring the growing might of the wanton feral man then society hath broken. No longer doth the meaker man support society but he too doth join the ferality S. Perduson 1971." - Beaufort
I hope you have not spent all afternoon at work searching for this - get on with what you are paid for.
Honestly...