Festival Clampdown! Vacationers illegally vend too

While making it clear that all persons operating businesses in Road Town should be registered, City Manager Janice Brathwaite-Edwards has vowed to walk the streets with police in tow to deal with illegal vendors especially during the festival season.

She lamented that even persons vacationing in the territory are known to set up shop without the requisite permission especially at this time of the year.

“We have situations where people would come in and they’re coming on vacation, and they set up shop. You can’t do that; you don’t have no trade licence; you don’t have nothing; you just going to set up. So, if something happens tomorrow, you gone and then somebody else stuck with the burden of proof…” Brathwaite-Edwards told BVI News Online.

She further said: “On August Monday especially, I will walk the entire route; I will check to make sure you have all the prerequisite things. If you don’t have the prerequisite things, then we ask you in a nice manner to pack up and to remove yourself from the premises. If you don’t, then we have a police present that will come and remove you because we don’t want people to get sick.”

Brathwaite-Edwards said vendors should get permission from her office to sell in Road Town, adding that they also need temporary trade licences before they can start operating.

“That temporary trade licence can only be issued when you ask us permission. When we give you permission, then you can go to the Trade Department to get the temporary license. You can’t just jump up and sell as you feel like within the confines of the city. There needs to be some kind of order.”

Furthermore, the city manager said food and alcohol vendors are required to get the necessary liquor licenses and food handler’s permits.

Regarding the locations where vending will be allowed, she explained: “The situation is this, within the confines of the city, people need to ask permission because we have particular locations that are used by numerous people… We’ve had situations where we have given somebody permission to operate in X location and, when they get to X location, Y is set up there and Y is making an argument… We need to make sure that it’s organised, people are set up properly, and all the rules and regulations as it relates to operating temporary assignments in the city.”