Tamworth street trader prosecuted for trading without a licence

Tamworth Borough Council has prosecuted a Tamworth street trader operating as The Posh Pig, Wilnecote Lane, Tamworth for trading without a licence to operate.

On Tuesday 24 February, Cannock Magistrates Court found Paul Bailey guilty of trading illegally without licence after failing to respond to repeated communication from the council’s licensing team. Bailey failed to attend court, and the case was heard in their absence.

The court heard that following the implementation of the council’s street trading policy, the defendant continued to trade without the required consent. Despite being contacted by the licensing team on numerous occasions since October 2024 and given the opportunity to engage with the process, Bailey failed to take action to comply with legal requirements.

The court unanimously agreed that the offence had been proved and gave a guilty verdict.

The court fined the defendant £660 and ordered payment of the council’s full prosecution costs of £304.41. A victim surcharge of £264 was also imposed. The total amount payable was £1,228.41, to be paid within 28 days.

Stephen Gabriel, Chief Executive of Tamworth Borough Council said:

“This prosecution demonstrates that we will take action where individuals ignore legal requirements and refuse to engage with our licensing team.

“There are a considerable number of traders who are properly licensed in the borough, and we work with them to support safe and fair trading.

“Our street trading policy is in place to ensure fairness for legitimate traders, protect consumers and maintain standards within the borough. The vast majority of traders work with us and comply with the requirements, and it is important that we act where this does not happen. Taking a case to court is always a last resort and we make every effort to advise and support traders so they can meet the legal requirements.

“We would always encourage anyone wishing to trade in Tamworth to contact our licensing team for advice and support to make sure they are operating legally.”