A46 burger van told it is a road safety hazard

A fast food vendor has been told he can no longer stay at his pitch on a Warwickshire road.



Irfan Tatli is one of the owners of several van that have been identified by Warwickshire Police as a road safety hazard.

He runs a burger van on the A46, between Stratford and Alcester, which has been on the site for several years.

Irfan has been running the business for a year with a license from Stratford District Council.

He told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire's Sian Grzeszczyk: "Last Friday, I had two officers come to my van at about 8 o'clock in the morning, telling me that I'm no longer allowed to stay here and that I have to move out. I asked them the reason and they said to me that I am dangerous to the road."

After giving Irfan some paperwork, they informed him that he has seven days to move from the site. He was slightly confused by the situation, adding: "I have police officers coming to my van for breakfast, coffee or something, but these two guys were different. I just got scared, I didn't know what to do. I pay a lot of money for here. I'm just about to pay it off. I'm paying for a year license at around £750."

Irfan is worried that he won't find another pitch as there is no more room on the road and there is great competition, so he may have to change to a B road, which has less traffic.

A 'designated clearway'

Warwickshire Police have issued a statement explaining the situation:

"Several months ago the force's road safety team identified significant safety concerns regarding a trader operating from the A46 near to Coventry. It was clear that the presence of the vehicle was creating a significant risk to road users.

"Upon closer examination it became clear that the location was a 'designated clearway' which forbids the sale of goods from the carriageway including any lay by. Based on the safety concerns and the illegal nature of the trading the traders licence was revoked for that location by the licensing authority.

"Subsequently the force has identified a number of other traders also operating in contravention of clearway orders. Each licensing authority has been advised and police officers are now in the process of visiting traders and advising them of the safety concerns and clearway restrictions which prevent trading. Advice has also been given to officers concerning the use of vendors.

"Our aim is to protect our communities from harm by reducing any avoidable road safety risks. There are many alternative sites which are both safe and legal to operate from and we encourage traders to relocate to a more suitable site."