IT'S not difficult to understand the anger and frustration of ice cream van operators about the 50 per cent increase in licences they face next year.

Blackburn with Darwen Council wants to increase charges from £600 to £900 a year for vans from each of the two companies licensed to roam around the borough.

Further licences costing £900 a van will be required for a fixed site around Ewood Park or to trade in Blackburn town centre.

One of the companies, Ripplehead Ices, claims other ice cream firms are flooding the borough with unlicensed vans because they think they will get away with paying nothing because the rules are not being properly enforced.

"All this year we have had other vans, without licences...stealing our trade and then disappearing again," said owner Catherine Elliott.

The council says it has been doing all it can and points to two recent prosecutions of unlicensed traders.

But at the moment those who will be paying a hefty price to sell ice cream think they are being taken for a ride.

Perhaps the council could beef up enforcement by getting their revamped team of patrolling parking wardens to keep their eyes open for unlicensed vans?