Ice-cream seller deflated after £6,000 council fine

Banned trader let his tyres down to sell in car park

An ice-cream seller banned from trading in a council car park let air out of his van’s tyres to squeeze it under a height restriction barrier.

Details of Jason Tevfik’s illicit methods emerged as he was hit with £6,000 worth of fines and costs for ignoring a court order.

He admitted nine breaches of an injunction which banned him from parking his van in Keam’s Yard car park in Whitstable.

Canterbury County Court heard how Mr Tevfik, of Whitstable Ices, was seen deflating his tyres so he could drive beneath the barrier and into the car park.

The noise of the engine and the diesel fumes from his van also caused problems.

Tevfik, of Plum Pudding Lane, Dargate, was fined £400 for each breach and was ordered to pay the council’s costs of £2,778. He will have to pay his own legal costs.

Chairman of the city council’s community committee Cllr Neil Baker said: “Selling ice cream is already a lucrative business so it is sheer greed that drives the rogue traders who ignore the rules and refuse to pay their dues.

“Our patience has run out and we will use every tactic available to us to crack down on the nuisance this causes to residents.”

The injunction at Keam’s Yard car park remains in place.

The judge accepted an undertaking from Tevfik not to trade at Whitstable Harbour or incite or encourage others to do so.

Cllr Baker added: “We welcome the tough stance taken by the court for the breach of one of its injunctions.

“It will hit Tevfik where it hurts – in his pocket.”

Ice-cream seller Jason Tevfik had been banned from trading in Keam’s Yard car park, Whitstable