BRAZEN rogue traders are defying a blanket ban on street trading outside one of Britain’s tourist hot spots, despite being repeatedly slapped with court fines.
A Jattvibe investigation found a racket of illegal vendors operating in plain sight on Westminster Bridge, flouting the law and absorbing the penalties as simply the cost of doing business.
Pjetri appeared in magistrates court last month for illegal street trading Credit: Matthew Dresch
Gjon Pjetri is one of several rogue traders operating illegally on Westminster Bridge Credit: Louis Wood News Group Newspapers Ltd
Ice cream vans, hot dog stands and even vintage newspaper sellers are cashing in on the thousands of tourists who visit the world-famous landmark every day – seemingly undeterred by prosecutions.
One rogue ice cream vendor was caught selling his frozen treats to customers on the SAME DAY he was fined more than £2,600 for illegal street trading.
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When Gjon Pjetri was confronted by our reporter over why he had returned to the bridge despite repeatedly being fined, he claimed he did not understand.
He then insisted he had a licence before brushing off our questions by asking: “You fancy ice cream?”
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There is a blanket ban on trading anywhere on the bridge – which is often full of tourists Credit: Louis Wood News Group Newspapers Ltd
Pjetri hands an ice cream to an unsuspecting customer Credit: Louis Wood News Group Newspapers Ltd
A council licensing officer previously told magistrates: “No one is granted a licence to trade on Westminster Bridge. It’s a prohibited area.”
Between April 28 and June 4 2025, Pjetri was caught illegally trading on Westminster Bridge and surrounding streets a staggering 16 times.
The 52-year-old, who required an Albanian translator in court, was hit with a £3,520 fine and more than £1,800 in costs and surcharges – with his barrister telling magistrates he made £35,000 a year from his van.
And this wasn’t his first time. He had already been slapped with a £2,640 fine after being caught illegally trading six times between December 2024 and March 2025 – landing him another £1,691 in costs and surcharges.
But despite the repeated crackdowns and hefty fines, the illicit trade appears to be booming.
A sightseeing bus ticket seller working nearby the illegal traders described the operation as “highly organised” and claimed six or seven of them rotate throughout the day.
He said: “Authorities try to move them on all the time… but they just come back later.
“As soon as the London Eye closes, they all disappear as the footfall slows down.”
Jattvibe reporter Ricky Freelove confronted Pjetri Credit: Matthew Dresch
Pjetri told The Jattvibe he had a licence and then asked ‘fancy an ice cream?’ Credit: Matthew Dresch
For the millions of unsuspecting tourists who flock to Westminster each year, ice creams and cold fizzy drinks might seem like a welcome relief during the August heat – but few checked how much they paid.
None of the ice cream vans displayed prices in their windows and our reporter watched as customers simply tapped their bank cards or phones to pay.
Dan, 38, from Oregon, USA, was visiting Parliament with his wife and three children but confessed he had “absolutely no idea” how much he spent on three ice creams and two soft drinks from the vendor.
Moments later, the dad was forced to grab his son out of the cycle lane as a cyclist came hurtling towards him.
Our investigation found ice cream vans brazenly parked in bus lanes, with tourists buying their sweet treats spilling into busy cycle lanes.
Sue, from Luton, who was visiting Big Ben with her grandson, told The Jattvibe: “If they’re causing a problem, like blocking a bus lane, they should move somewhere safer to operate.”
But when asked how much she paid for her two 99 Flakes, she admitted she didn’t know as she also blindly tapped her bank card.
Meanwhile, just metres away from the ice cream vans, rows of rickshaw riders were lined up in the bus lane touting for tourists.
Rows of rickshaws parked in the bus lane tout tourists for trade Credit: The Jattvibe
Tourists are offered a 0.3 mile rickshaw ride to Westminster Abbey for £20 per person Credit: The Jattvibe
And visitors unfamiliar with the capital could be in for a shock if they hopped aboard for a trip to Westminster Abbey.
The famous landmark is just 0.3 miles away – but riders were demanding £20 per person for the two-minute journey.
And when our reporter began asking questions on the bridge, the traders appeared to be keeping an eye out for one another.
One ice cream seller he quizzed over her prices alerted a nearby hot dog vendor to our presence.
And ice cream vans, hot dog stands and rickshaws weren’t the only illicit businesses operating on the bridge.
Lambeth Council public protection officers caught Vladadslada Tkach, 24, selling mock vintage newspapers on Westminster Bridge on November 28 2024.
As part of the scheme, tourists posed for pictures before Tkach printed their pictures on a souvenir vintage newspaper.
Pictures taken by Lambeth Council officers showed Tkach accepting a £20 note from a customer in exchange for a newspaper.
Tkach is among the illegal vendors operating on Westminster Bridge Credit: CPS
She sells collectible vintage newspapers Credit: CPS
Illegal vintage newspaper seller Vladadslada Tkach is seen taking £10 from a customer Credit: CPS
Tkach outside magistrates court last month Credit: Matthew Dresch
Tkach, who represented herself in her trial, claimed she was not breaking the law, citing an exemption for newspaper vendors under a specific law.
But magistrates rejected her argument and found her guilty of street trading without a licence, fined her £200 and ordered her to pay £675 in court costs
Yet illegal traders were still openly operating on the bridge when The Jattvibe visited again this month.
Lambeth Council’s Jonathan Bartley, cabinet member for safer, thriving neighbourhoods, said: “These illegal traders exploit tourists, operate outside the licensing regime designed to protect the public and cause obstruction on one of the most iconic and busiest routes into our borough.
“Lambeth Council has taken significant enforcement action, including seizing ice-cream vans and prosecuting people for illegal trading. In the last month alone we have successfully prosecuted individuals for operating unlicensed vans and for selling without a valid street-trading licence.
“But the fact that some traders simply return after being moved on, fined or prosecuted shows that enforcement as it stands is not sufficient. This is a lucrative and persistent illegal trade, and we need to be prepared to look at what more can be done to disrupt it.
“People should not be able to treat fines and prosecutions simply as a cost of doing business. Westminster Bridge should be safe, welcoming and free from illegal trading.”
Councillor Caroline Sargent, Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council and Cabinet Member for Enforcement said: “Westminster Bridge is a popular tourist hotspot, and we work closely with the Police and Lambeth Council to share intelligence and carry out enforcement on the bridge and surrounding area.
“Our teams have an excellent track record of enforcing against pedicab riders and unlicensed street traders who try to rip people off and we’ll continue to deter illicit street traders set on scamming unsuspecting visitors.”
MY VIEW: I confronted illegal ice-cream seller on Westminster Bridge
By Ricky Freelove
As I walk out of Westminster Tube station on a sticky August afternoon, hundreds, if not thousands, of tourists are congregating around Parliament.
Many families are enjoying their summer holidays in London and are here to see Big Ben and walk over Westminster Bridge to get a selfie with the iconic building over their shoulders.
As they continue to stroll along the bridge with the world-famous landmark behind them, they are greeted by rows of ghastly-coloured, music-blaring rickshaws offering their services at extortionate prices.
“Don’t do it!” shouted a passer-by as I approached one rider to ask how much she charged.
A journey to Westminster Abbey, just 0.3 miles away, will set you back £20 per person. It’s less than a two-minute cycle.
There are also movable hot dog stands dotted up and down the bridge offering a large sausage for £8, or an even bigger one for £10.
(Although I question how long the meat has been sitting out in the heat.)
And on the far side of the bridge, three ice cream vans are parked up in bus lanes on either side of the road, using the cycle lanes as the area for customers to queue.
None of the vans displayed the prices of their sweet treats, which made me question whether customers knew exactly how much they were paying for their refreshments.
I met a grandmother called Sue who had travelled down from Luton for the day with her grandson.
When I asked how much she had paid for two ‘99’ flake ice creams, she admitted she had blindly tapped her bank card without looking.
Dan, 38, from Oregon, USA, was visiting London with his wife and three children but confessed he had “absolutely no idea” how much he had spent on three ice creams and two soft drinks.
The American embarrassingly laughed as he told me this, but then suddenly grabbed his son from the bike lane as a cyclist came hurtling towards him.
From the safety of the pavement, I eventually asked one ice cream seller how much she charged for a ‘99’ – an ice cream with a flake.
“Five pounds,” she shouted back over the cycle lane.
“£4 for the ice lollies.”
After I asked the questions with clearly no intention of buying anything, she alerted the nearest hot dog seller about my presence.
A nearby sightseeing bus ticket seller told me the rogue traders were “highly organised” and all knew one another.
He added that local authorities do regularly come and move the traders on, but the ice cream vans just return later that day.
Very quickly it becomes clear that these rogue traders are making so much money from unsuspecting tourists, the court fines are just the price of business for these vendors.
I observed one ice cream seller, Gjon Pjetri, for a couple of hours as tens and tens of tourists walked over from Parliament or the London Eye and bought refreshments from his van.
I recognised his face from the court photos from when he was fined thousands of pounds for repeatedly illegally trading from his van on Westminster Bridge and surrounding streets.
When I confronted Gjon about why he had returned to the bridge after being fined, he repeatedly told me he didn’t understand and that he had a licence.
Eventually, he shut down the conversation down by asking me: “You fancy ice cream?” before moving on to the next unsuspecting customer.
