Daily Highlights

You will need to obtain an application form from your local council. The form will ask for your name, address, date of birth, street in which you wish to trade (a plan must be attached), days and times you will be trading, description of goods you will be trading, description of stall or any other object used in connection with trading, details of any previous convictions and they will more than likely want to know if you have been refused a street trader licence before. If you are selling food you need to get a further licence from your local council.

It is likely that you will have to send in with the form some passport photographs and a deposit.

You do not need this type of licence if you are,

• trading as a pedlar
• market trader operating at a licensed venue
• news vendor selling only newspapers and periodicals.

Councils are unlikely to give consent to trade on a main road or anywhere which may cause an obstruction or congestion, such as near to schools.

Please be aware that trading without a street trader licence is an offence.

See the website in related information to find your local authority.

CARS

• Distance – the legal requirement is that you must be able to read in good daylight, with the aid of corrective lenses if worn, a motor vehicle number plate of the prescribed size at a distance of 20.0 metres or 12 metres for category K vehicles (mowing machines or pedestrian-controlled vehicles). The prescribed size is letters 79 mm high and 50 mm wide. You must also not have been told by a doctor or optician that your eyesight is currently worse than 6/12 (decimal 0.5) on the Snellen scale, using both eyes or one eye if you have sight in one eye only - you may use glasses or contact lenses. If there is any doubt about this you should speak to your doctor or optician.
• Field of vision - this must also be of a satisfactory standard, your optician can explain about this and carry out a test.
  

LORRIES/BUSES

• Distance – if you drive a lorry or bus you must have a visual acuity of at least 0.8 (6/7.5) measured on the Snellen scale in your best eye and at least 0.1 (6/60) on the Snellen scale in the other eye. This standard can be achieved using glasses with a corrective power not more than (+) 8 dioptres or contact lenses. There's no specific limit for the corrective power of contact lenses.
• Field of vision – you must have a horizontal visual field of at least 160 degrees, the extension should be at least 70 degrees left and right and 30 degrees up and down. No defects should be present within a radius of the central 30 degrees.