Operators who set-up stalls in the centre of Tenby have been warned not to block emergency service vehicles entering the town following an incident that was reported to the town council.

Speaking at last week’s meeting of the town council, Tenby’s Mayor, Clr. Laurence Blackhall told his colleagues that the people who set-up the tattoo and hair braiding stands in Tudor Square and around the centre of the resort, needed to show some ‘respect’ for the town they were trading in, after an instance where one trader wouldn’t move to let a St John’s Ambulance vehicle through.

It was also mentioned that the county council’s litter collection workers had been blocked from carrying out their duties due to the stalls.

Town clerk Andrew Davies told councillors that at one point recently he was receiving around five to six ’phone calls a day with complaints regarding various incidents involving ‘street trading’ in the centre of the resort.

Clr. Blackhall explained that he had even asked one trader if they could be so kind as to move away from the front area of the church entrance as a funeral was due to take place, only for them to pretend that they didn’t understand what he was asking them to do.

“I asked another on one occasion if they could remove their sign which was hanging off the church railings, and I was told ‘what’s it got to do with you’ so it would be helpful if they at least showed a bit of respect for the town they are coming to work in,” he told his fellow councillors.

“For a number of years, I’ve argued the case to make sure street trading is completely removed from the likes of the Five Arches area, but I think it’s fair to say the situation is getting worse and completely out of hand now.

“Pembrokeshire County Council have spent all sorts of money enhancing the centre of Tenby and Tudor Square, and it should look fabulous this time of year, but I’m afraid that it looks appalling with amount of street trading stalls plonked in the middle of the road,” continued the Mayor.

Clr. Mrs. Caroline Thomas said she felt the stalls were ‘tacky,’ whilst Clr. Will Rossiter said that one trader seemed to have four ‘tatty’ stalls in the middle of Tudor Square.

“I want to sit down with the police and the county council’s street care team and address theses issues, concerning street trading,” remarked Clr. Blackhall.

“It’s public nuisance, causing access issues and a hazard for emergency services that need to get through.

“I’d appeal to the traders themselves to come and talk to us and we can try and negotiate a solution.

“I’m happy to entertain discussions, but their behaviour is not acceptable,” he added.

Following the discussions, the town clerk told the Observer that Sergeant Geraint Lewis and Pembrokeshire County Council’s senior traffic engineer Ben Blake had met the following day with the Mayor for what was described as a ‘productive meeting.’

“Police are going to make sure that the street traders are aware they need to maintain enough space for emergency vehicles to get through at all times and we are all going to monitor it to make sure they adhere to it,” said Mr. Davies.

A spokesperson for the county council confirmed that an officer from their highways department met representatives from the town council and the police to try and resolve the problem of HGV traffic within the walled town, whilst also discussing the obstruction issues being caused by the stalls in Tudor Square.

“The difficulty lies in that some stalls - such as tattooists - fall outside street trading legislation,” explained the spokesperson.

“Street trading is offering or selling goods or articles and as the tattooists are not selling, they are therefore deemed to be service providers and not street traders.

“We are aware of the historic issue with the service providers in Tenby and are therefore liaising with our own legal team and the police to find a long-term solution,” they added.