Concern was expressed this week over the number of street traders and pedlars that appeared in Tenby during the summer, and town councillors have now vowed to prevent the problem from getting worse next year.
At a specially convened meeting on Tuesday, councillors met with representatives of Dyfed-Powys Police, Pembrokeshire County Council and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority to discuss ways of combating illegal street trading.
Although no final solution was determined, a number of positive options on how to deal with the problem were put forward.
One of the main issues discussed was to determine who were classed as illegal traders and what rights the pedlars certificates they carry entitle them to.
Clr. Mrs. Maureen Ward claimed that shop proprietors in Tenby didn't know who to look to for advice
"All the councillors in Tenby have at some point this summer been contacted by shop owners complaining about these traders popping up around the streets of Tenby," she said.
" I know the police have been very helpful in trying to move the traders on, but our biggest worry is that if we don't act before next summer, we will have double the amount of people getting away with it and before long the town will be flooded with traders.
"I don't think anyone has a real problem with entertainers or musicians performing on the streets, but I don't think that people setting up stalls wherever they like and selling products is fair."
However, Inspector Les Clarke, of Tenby police station, explained that a number of loopholes prevented the law from banning the traders completely.
"As long as these traders carry pedlars certificates, then all we can do is move them along," he pointed out. "They can obtain a certificate in any town and use it anywhere. One example was a lady we kept moving on who had a certificate issued in Nottingham.
"Another gentleman who persistently offended, we kept putting on a train back to Swansea; eventually we had to seize his goods twice. Now the next step would be to arrest him and we're not prepared to go that far.
"We have to prioritise police time for more serious issues taking place. This year Tenby police station had 1,750 incidents reported, 373 crimes and 100 crimes of violence and I'm afraid that street trading is quite low on our list at the moment.
"As long as these traders continue to produce certificates then they are not breaking the law," he stressed.
Clr. Mike Evans suggested that councillors and shop owners would benefit if there was a proper procedure in place in how to deal with the traders.
"I think that if all parties involved get together and look forward for a solution, then we will have a more positive outcome next year in how to deal with the situation when and where it occurs."
Licensing officer for Pembrokeshire County Council, Sarah Oliver acknowledged that the problem of street trading was frequent throughout any town or city.
"Unfortunately this is a problem with every town in Britain, as a licence issued in London can be used all over the UK," she pointed out. "Tenby, being such a popular seaside resort, is going to attract some street traders.
"There are a number of options available to the authorities and what we must do is decide on the best way of how to combat the problem. One option is what they did in Worcester, where the council produced a nuisance guide, giving useful information on how best to deal with the traders and what the correct legislations are."