Two rival vendors lost their cool while competing for business on a sunny Saturday (Picture: Getty)
Rival ice cream vendors in County Durham have been warned to stay away from each other after a ‘turf row’ boiled over.
Two vans from competing sellers set up shop in South Park, Darlington, on Saturday, March 8, when families turned out to take advantage of a rare day of late-winter sunshine and 16C temperatures.
Police were called to the scene when a dispute between the vendors turned hostile.
The spat was broken up but both parties went on to make allegations of harassment against each other.
It’s not clear what sparked the row but council officials suggested a rule that ice cream vans should station at least 200 metres apart from each other may not have been followed properly.
Durham Council said: ‘Both companies applied at different times to operate a static pitch on Parkside, between Kingsbury Mews and Lakeside.
‘Each application went through a consultation process and no objections were received from the responsible authorities.
‘Our policy states that such vans should be at least 200m apart, and as the location in question is over a quarter of a mile long it provides more than enough space for two vehicles to operate and service the high public demand during the summer.
‘We were made aware of allegations of harassment made by both parties on Saturday 8 March. Our licensing officers spoke to them and stressed that they must comply with our Street Traders Policy when operating in static locations.
‘We’ve not heard of any further problems and we’re confident they can both do well. If there are further issues, they could be referred to the Licensing Committee to reconsider their licences.’
The two vendors – Gwenny’s Ices and Nevisons Super Whip – declined to comment.
A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said officers ‘have since spoken to both parties involved and given appropriate advice’.
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