Lambeth helpless to deal with South Bank menace

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 5th Sep 2007

Licensed street vendors on the South Bank

Local Liberal Democrat councillors are angry that a plague of rogue street vendors have returned to Lambeth's prestigious South Bank and Westminster Bridge Area since the Labour-run Council scrapped its dedicated team of wardens.

The South Bank Wardens were originally funded from Planning Section 106 money paid to Lambeth after the iconic London Eye gained permanent planning permission from the Council. One of the aims of this funding was to provide a dedicated team of wardens to keep the area free from the unlicensed traders who pestered tourists and to maintain a uniformed presence in an area of high security importance.

However, Lambeth's incoming Labour administration has swept away all existing crime warden schemes around the borough, although it always claimed the South Bank Wardens would be safe due to separate funding.

Now Lambeth Streetcare officers say they are " struggling to fill the void left by the wardens " and that the disbanded dedicated wardens with their daily patrols " had been extremely successful in reducing unlicensed street trading activity in the area."

Councillor Peter Truesdale said " It really beggars belief that the Labour-run Council is prepared to undo all this good work that has been done in deterring the street vendors in the first place. As well as being a nuisance, unlicensed food vendors pose a potential health risk to anyone unfortunate enough to buy their wares."

Councillor Truesdale added, " Westminster Council operates tough controls just over the river while unregulated unpatrolled Lambeth draws-in unlicensed street traders like flies round honey. Labour likes to talk big about regenerating the South Bank and then turns it into something resembling a Penny Bazaar."