A long-running ice cream van saga continued in Hounslow for one man, after he was caught trading without a licence and scooped another hefty fine.
Laurence John Vella, who has been in trouble with Hounslow council before for not obtaining a licence, ignored at least two warnings from them earlier this year.
However, he carried on illegally trading in Holloway Street, Hounslow, and as a result was taken to Ealing Magistrates' Court and fined more than £4,000.
Council battles
Last year Mr Vella had also been prosecuted and ordered to pay £1,710 in fines, costs and surcharges for illegal street trading.
Despite this, he continued to trade without a licence and in April 2016, he evaded council officers who attempted to issue him with a fixed penalty notice (FPN) of £150 by driving away.
In July this year, he was witnessed selling in the same location and was issued another FPN.
Mr Vella failed to pay and was taken to court where he also failed to attend the hearing.
The case went on in his abscene.
In the past, Mr Vella has said the council's actions have cost him his house , after he was forced off his patch several years ago.
He was fined a maximum of £2,000 (£1,000 for each offence) and was ordered to pay costs to the council of £2,107.40, as well as a victim surcharge of £200, bringing the total fine to £4,307.40.
Councillor Sue Sampson, cabinet member for community protection at Hounslow Council, said: “Any trader found to be trading without the relevant licence, will be caught and dealt with and if they don’t comply and continue to trade illegally, we will look to prosecute.
“We will act strongly with those irresponsible businesses who think they can ignore what everyone else has to adhere to.
"We will always take the toughest action possible and let this prosecution be a warning for others."
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