Following numerous complaints by members of the business community, a ban has been placed on vendors selling on the pavement on the main street of Sangre Grande.
The ban will go into effect from January.
This means that vendors who have been on the streets plying their items all December long, will have to cease operations on December 31st.
The decision was taken by officers of Sangre Grande Police, Municipal Police and members of the Sangre Grande Station Council, after numerous complaints by the business community, members of the public and even school children about the congestion of the streets being caused by the vendors.
If found in violation, the vendors will be prosecuted.
Although the vendors have been given until the end of the month to sell on the streets, they must abide by temporary measures, which include: no use of tents, no use of planters (concrete troughs with ornamental plants) as stalls for selling their goods nor as a place for garbage disposal, they must not occupy space in front of business places and must not set up stalls on the pavement so as not to force pedestrians to use the road.
At a station council meeting at the Sangre Grande Police Station Conference Room, police officers revealed that street vendors had been given guidelines, both verbally and by correspondence, about the laws pertaining to vending outside of a market and that come January 2024.
Officers said this included vegetable, fruits, fish and clothing vendors and vending from parked vehicles, which will be strictly forbidden come January.
The officers noted that vendors would be allowed to use the Cunapo Southern Main Road, near the market, until December 31 but thereafter they would face the full brunt of the law for illegal vending.
They also advised all vendors who had stalls in the Sangre Grande Market to do the right thing and go back into the market for their vending.
Vending on the streets was a challenge to business owners and pedestrians, who were forced to use the road, which was a risk and often caused accidents.
According to reports, the market had about 43 unused stalls for registered vendors who preferred to use the streets for vending.