Source: City of Westminster
Pedicab riders and illegal street traders have been given fines, costs and victim surcharges totalling £20,202.50 following the latest round of prosecutions at City of Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday 9th July.
Prosecutions for five unlicensed street traders operating on Westminster Bridge selling peanuts and balloons saw £11,127.50 in convictions handed down Another three cases adjourned.
Given the bridge’s location, Westminster City Council regularly partner with Lambeth Council and the Met Police to provide evidence for prosecutions and conduct enforcement operations on the bridge. Thanks to the joint intelligence, one of the vendors was convicted for the second time in two months for previously selling hotdogs.
A shop on Charing Cross Road was hit with the largest fine of £3,382 had previously received multiple warnings for selling a multitude of souvenir goods on the street, and while the company was dissolved in the lead up to court, the director was still held personally liable and convicted.
Additionally, nine pedicabs operators- several repeat offenders- have been hit with some the biggest individual fines totalling £9075.00 following the latest round of pedicab prosecutions.
The riders were found guilty thanks to the work of City Inspectors from Westminster City Council with fines, costs, and victim surcharges ranging from £750 to £1460 under the Control of Pollution Act 1974. Ahead of TfL’s licensing regime which is set to come into effect in early 2026 teams from the central London local Authority continue to patrol hotspot areas educating visitors against the dangers of using pedicabs and work with the Metropolitan Police to prosecute those in breach of current legislation. Given the repeat prosecutions, the council is exploring options such as injunctions or banning orders for the more prolific riders.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Public Protection Cllr Aicha Less said:
This is Westminster, not the Wild West. These fines send a clear message: if you break the rules in our city you will end up out of pocket and out of excuses.”
“Whilst we work with TfL to finalise a structured the licensing scheme is being finalised, our City Inspectors continue to prosecute pedicab drivers and partner with our neighbours in Lambeth and in the Metropolitan Police to ensure unsuspecting tourists are not ripped off.”