Crackdown hits rogue traders in the pocket
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-ea ... -25079457/
THIS haul of tat was seized from illegal street traders as part of a city centre clean-up probe.
Operation Jersey saw police and council officers team up to tackle all forms of low-level crime in Newcastle.
That ranged from unroadworthy taxis picking up punters and noisy nightclubs to revellers dropping litter and illegal busking.
Also targeted were street traders flogging goods to party-goers without a licence.
And that led to scores of novelty items like these cowboy hats and flowers being seized from street-sellers during the operation.
Also recovered were electrical goods with dodgy connections, such as batteries that easily fell out, potentially posing a danger to users.
Environmental crime and pollution team manager at Newcastle City Council Roy Harris, said: “Through working with the police, the City Council is committed to tackling problems associated with the night-time economy.
“These are things that cause a nuisance to residents, visitors and businesses in the city.
“This includes noise, litter, street urination and illegal sales of potentially unsafe goods.”
Operation Jersey saw five fixed penalty notices given out for littering, 12 for urinating in public and seven for illegal street trading.
Two buskers were warned for excessive noise and two noise warnings were slapped on licensed premises.
Two people were summonsed for begging, while another was arrested and charged with the offence.
The selling of goods in the street is restricted by the City of Newcastle Act 2000, which requires anyone trading in the street to be licensed by the council.
That means all of the people selling roses and so-called “flashing goods” on the street are doing so illegally.
During the course of the probe, 27 taxis were inspected to make sure they were safe to carry passengers.
It comes on the back of a similar crackdown on rogue cabbies.
That operation – codenamed Detour 2 – saw three drivers immediately suspended.
Nine more were ordered to carry our repairs to their cars within five days.
And more than 30 others were pulled up for offences ranging from speeding to dodgy number plates.
Overall, the operation saw 82 vehicles stopped and inspected.
A team of engineers were on hand to inspect cabs and 51 licensed by the Newcastle Council – 15 private hire and 36 Hackney carriages – were looked at.
A further 31 vehicles licensed outside the area were stopped and of those, 18 were Berwick Hackney Carriages, five were licensed to North Tyneside, three Derwentside and the remaining six licensed with other North East authorities.
Eighteen drivers ordered to produce their documents, two were given fixed penalty notices for speeding and one for driving through a no entry sign. Two further summonses were issued for speeding, with another served for having a dodgy number plate.
The latest crackdown was carried out in response to concerns raised by locals about late-night disorder by revellers.
It focussed on all aspects of the night time economy that can cause problems and detract from Newcastle’s reputation as a safe and welcoming city for revellers.
Officers linked-in with the work done by street pastors during nights out.
The team walk through the city centre and offer advice and assistance to anyone identified as vulnerable or in need of help.
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