South Cambridgeshire proposes limits on ice cream van jingles and school stops

South Cambridgeshire District Council has proposed new licensing rules that would restrict ice cream van music to 12-second bursts, ban most sales outside schools unless approved by teachers, prohibit trading within 50 metres of hospitals and limit individual stops to 15 minutes.

The proposals, put forward by council officers and supported for consultation by members of the Licensing Committee, follow complaints about "illegal or unauthorised" street trading in rural areas. Council papers say the changes are intended to help traders operate across more sites while giving local communities and parish councils greater control over where and when vans trade.

Traders and some residents have criticised the measures, saying they could damage livelihoods and remove a familiar summer sound from neighbourhoods. Tony Dee, who runs six Mr Whippy vans across East Anglia and has worked on ice cream vans for 32 years, told local media the limits would be harmful, saying 12 seconds is not long enough for chimes to be heard along long streets and that restrictions on school stops would hit trade.

A council spokesman said the 12-second music limit is drawn from the national government’s code of practice on noise from ice cream vans and that the proposals are not final. "We were looking at changes to the way we license ice cream vans, aimed at helping them trade in more places whilst giving local communities more of a say too. However, these are just ideas and are not confirmed," the spokesman said. The council said it is preparing a public consultation to gather views from traders, residents and parish councils; results will be considered by the committee early next year and any new rules could be enforced from April.

Council documents argue a 15-minute trading limit would allow several traders to serve the same area during the day and reduce pressure to designate villages to a single seller. The papers also say the council has found enforcement difficult in rural locations and that requiring traders to have the consent of parish or town councils would provide clearer controls; any trader operating without the required consent would have their permission revoked, the report said.

The draft rules include a requirement that van operators avoid "triggering ice cream wars" by playing jingles when passing a rival. The council also noted that existing "No Cold Calling Zones" should be respected by vans, even if a vehicle has traded in an area for years.

Local reaction has been mixed. Some residents told reporters the music evokes childhood memories and should not be curtailed, while online comments framed the measures as financially motivated. Supporters of stricter controls have pointed to noise and nuisance concerns and the need to protect sensitive locations such as hospitals and school grounds.

The Licensing Committee backed a consultation rather than immediate adoption of the rules. If the council proceeds, the consultation responses will inform any final policy changes and their timetable for implementation. The council’s statement reiterated that feedback from traders and communities will be considered before any policy is finalised.