Illegal street trading-Clean and shine mobile vehicle valet on lytcott Grove

[KidKruger]

"So none of you will mind when you're caught out by illegal traders?"

I'm a grown-up (well some of the time, definitely when in a deal though).

What does 'caught-out' mean ?! If the guy is offering a decent product / service then good luck to him. If he's not, but I don't realise, that's my fault.

[the-e-dealer]

Maybe he could come to my road?

[KidKruger]

"everyone in ED is so trusting that they will believe any company they see "

most people in ED are far from stupid, contrary to the picture you're painting !

If YOU need tight governance to prevent yourself making bad judgements, fine, go to an 'authentic' trader for your 'bonafide' service.

But most of us can look discern for ourselves !

[the-e-dealer]

I expect there's paint stripper in the Detergent!

[edcam]

Is this activity illegal? If not then what's the problem?

[the-e-dealer]

Blocking the road is always illegal even with a car (ie parking) . It just requires everyone to be sensible. Seems to me one or two cars parked waiting isn't unreasonable but if the road is chocka with cars maybe something more formal might help.

[ed_pete]

I have to admit I have some sympathy with the OP. How many of you would really be happy with someone operating a noisy car cleaning business outside of your house or flat ? I've got no beef with the guy trying to make a legitimate buck but businesses should operate where they have permission to do so. Why should this guy get away with operating without the overheads of a business premises ? How would you feel if you were the owner of the car cleaning business at the end of Chesterfield Grove ? And in what way is a static car valenting business similar to window cleaners, postmen and milkmen ? TED weren't you the one complaining about a skip in your road not long ago ? A touch of NIMBY-ism ?

[KidKruger]

"businesses should operate where they have permission to"

Not sure what laws the guy has broken. Isn't this in the spirit of pop-up ? Seems pathetic to force small time business into overpriced retail premises with extortionate lease costs and disgusting business rates. Surely the car cleaning guy is within the spirits of pop-up.

"Why should this guy get away with operating without the overheads of a business premises ?"

Again, are you seriously suggesting that anyone trying to run a small-time operation shoul dbe obliged to sink their life savings and more into it - and just so other businesses (who could have had the gumption to do it themselves|) feel better about it !?

"How would you feel if you were the owner of the car cleaning business at the end of Chesterfield Grove ?"

You would probably feel that you're in the real world where there's real competition and maybe you should have thought through your decision to blow silly money on premises when perhaps you could have done without - although you'd admittedly have less business in all likelihood. I'd feel that I've got a location people can regularly come to, rather than me having to trawl around residential streets trying to win business.

Fair point about t-e-d being uptight about skips recently !

[ed_pete]

KK, so the next time a builder fly tips a load of rubbish outside your house he's just trying to get on in this world is he, just trying to support his family in these striken times ? And the builder's that dispose of their rubbish legitimately are naive are they ?

[KidKruger]

That's extremely weak.

You asked questions about fixed-location car cleaning businesses v mobile car cleaning businesses, which I answered for you.

Now you switching to comparing mobile car cleaning businesses to fly-tipping ?!

I understand the argument you think you want to make, but you're not doing yourself any favours by going off on bizarre tangents.

[stacey-lyn]

Skips? Fly-tipping?

If the point of the OP is that a car wash/valeting service 'camped outside your house' on a Sunday is noisy, a nuisance from emissions & equipment, makes a mess and causes increased traffic (the very nature of it one assumes means that cars could be lined up for the service), then that's a valid grievance but to begrudge them if that's not the case is something entirely different.

[UncleBen]

The van was parked up on Melbourne this morning.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I certainly sympathise with the OP. At the moment Sunday is my only day off so I would be seriously pissed off if I had a noisy enterprise outside my gaff.

[maritap]

I've lived on Lytcott Grove for 33yrs and have never seen police with sniffer dogs round here..... I must have been out..... At the car wash maybe .... Not anymore I shall be using the one at the bottom of my road so I won't miss a thing

[jennylane]

@maritap - sniffer dogs? what you mean 'I must have been out'?

[stacey-lyn]

Ms Blueberry wrote:

". . . but it may also be a clever cover for doing more unsavoury business deals. It?s not completely unknown for cars on Lytcott and surrounding streets to be visited by police sniffer dogs. . . "

now you're up to speed.

[orford28]

Can someone plz tell me the real meaning of mobile car valeting.

[Rianoo]

I means wherever we are you are. In turn that gives peace of mind for some people, especially elderly. Although not for all (NIMBYSM). But maybe the dare-do-sayers will come around when they realise that you are legal and that they don't have to leave their house for a second to get their cars washed at a very reasonable rate. Far cheaper than the dogsh@t clean my vehicle was given today for ?10 (outside only).

[polla2256]

Thanks for the tip. My car is filthy, I love supporting local start ups !!!

[polla2256]

the-e-dealer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Blocking the road is always illegal even with a

> car (ie parking) . It just requires everyone to be

> sensible. Seems to me one or two cars parked

> waiting isn't unreasonable but if the road is

> chocka with cars maybe something more formal might

> help.

Not too sure about this, blocking for access to exit is illegal. Blocking for entry isn't (not withstanding emergency access).

[the-e-dealer]

A Flippin Skip left outside for 6 months and never moving is very different.

[grabot]

It's an interesting thread this one. The OP, possibly wound up, makes a somewhat rash posting challenging the legality of this exercise. Posts are made under a number of newly created logins attacking the OP. The echoes start. Such is the nature of internet forums. However, what about the original contention. This enterprise is creating noise outside the OPs property. How loud is it? How constant is it? Beyond a certain level I would assume that it would become intolerable for almost anyone. Oh, but if you live in London you should tolerate anything, so long as it's not illegal: a concept which is in itself somewhat gray, I have seen public order laws enforced for all sorts of petty reasons. My angle for what it's worth is that a car washing business will probably involve some sort of device with a compressor. Compressors can be very loud and very persistent. However, we lack facts to make a proper judgement.

[Sue]

ed_pete Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

How

> would you feel if you were the owner of the car

> cleaning business at the end of Chesterfield Grove

> ?

xxxxxx

You mean the one where apparently (according to a thread on this forum, and I'm pretty sure it was this car cleaning business being discussed) people who leave mobiles in their cars whilst they're being cleaned there get them nicked, and the police can't do anything about it because there is no proof?

OK not very wise to leave such things in your car, but I certainly wouldn't want to use an enterprise which apparently employed thieves.

[the-e-dealer]

Its called competition and Choice all part of the Capitalist system. Maybe the Chesterfield Grove Company can reduce its prices? Or would you rather the State intervened and said you cant open a competing business within 3 miles?

[Siduhe]

edcam Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Is this activity illegal? If not then what's the

> problem?

It's not illegal in and of itself. Like so many things, it depends how the person goes about it. If the cleaners were blocking the highway to traffic or creating a mess or a hazard on the surrounding roads, it would be an offence under the Highways' Act 1980. Similarly causing loud noise on a residential street could be an offence under the Environment Protection Act 1990 and other supporting acts. Repairing a vehicle on a residential street is a straight offence under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.

So get the neighbours onside and run the business in a reasonable, community minded way and no-one should have a problem.