TOWN centre traders have claimed they are being driven out of business after Bolton Council decided to enforce rules meaning they must remove their catering units from pitches outside trading hours.

The traders said that for years they have been allowed to keep their stalls on site overnight — and some now believe they are being forced out of town because they don’t “fit in” with the council’s town centre vision.

The council said the condition of removing the units overnight was originally put in to ensure that they would not be subject to planning laws and that the recent decision to enforce the rules came after it received complaints.

Sajid Patel, who owns the food unit based outside Marks and Spencer in Deansgate said the council’s decision could cost him an extra £200 a week and could force him to close.

He said: “We will have to take on extra staff in order to bring the van in to town in the mornings and close it down properly and drive it away in the evenings.

“This could close me down. I pay business rates so why should I not be able to stay here like other businesses?

“We can’t understand why moving makes any difference — the council should be helping small businesses instead of causing us problems.

“For the last six years I have left it in the town centre overnight and there has been no problem whatsoever, other town centres don’t enforce this.”

The Carvery, owned by Karen Hill, has been based in Victoria Square for seven years.

Her husband, Henry Hill said he believes the decision has been taken in a bid to rid the town centre of the catering units.

He said: “I think it’s a way for the council to get rid of us because we don’t fit in with their vision of Bolton.

“Shops are dropping like flies and yet we are fighting to stay here — it is madness that the council are picking on us and making it harder to stay here.

“No one knows why this has come up now and no one knows what will be to gain for anyone, it feels like the council are just saying this is what you have to do, deal with it.”

A spokesman for Bolton Council said: “We understand the concerns of the mobile food traders. However, all mobile units must be mobile and if not removed from their site, they become static units and are subject to planning legislation.

“The condition of removing units overnight was originally put in the licence to ensure the units would not be subject to planning.

“We recently received some complaints regarding the static nature of these mobile units, so reviewed the terms and conditions of the licences and identified that the condition of removing their vehicles overnight was not being complied with by the owners, or enforced by us.”