An ice cream man who has parked his van in the same location for 40 years could be forced to cut his trading days in half.
Russ Cairns, also known as Russ the Iceman, has been a fixture in Retford town square since the 1980s.
But after routine checks, Bassetlaw District Council realised that he is not permitted to trade in the spot on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays under his current licence, despite having done so for years.
The vendor will now have to apply for a different licence to carry on as he has, or face being able to trade only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, when the local market is on.
Many people who live in Retford expressed their shock at the ruling, including Bassetlaw District Council’s Labour East Retford West councillor, Harriet Digby.
She said: “This gentleman has been serving ice cream for longer than I’ve been alive. It’s being reported that this relates to some really archaic byelaws, such as the King’s Charter, and when market days are.
“I’m really concerned about what’s happened here. To me, it sounds like something has gone wrong.”
While Bassetlaw District Council’s markets team has always managed Retford’s historic market, it was only in January that the council’s licensing team took over the booking and payment process for market stalls.
The council found that, while trading within the rules at the market on the days it operates, Mr Cairns only has a Mobile Street Trading Consent licence for the rest of the week.
Although this is the most common licence for ice cream van operators, and allows him to park up and sell anywhere across the Bassetlaw district on any day, it only permits him to stay in the same place for 20 minutes at a time.
When asked, the council did not specify how long Mr Cairns had been trading under an incorrect licence.
But a spokesperson did confirm that the van will continue trading as usual while the matter is “resolved” and said they had presented Mr Cairns with two options.
They are that he either applies for a non-mobile Street Trading Consent, which would allow him to trade from a fixed position seven days per week, or that he trades from an area with a Premises Pitch Consent, a licence recently introduced in 2026.
Bassetlaw District Council’s website explains that this licence allows a business trading from a fixed structure – such as a pub or venue – to host different mobile traders, such as ice cream vans, on a designated pitch within the boundaries of their premises.
The ice cream van controversy is not the first time that Bassetlaw District Council’s street trading policy has come under scrutiny in recent months.
In May, the council introduced a £1,000 annual fee for local entrepreneurs after a rise in the popularity of the trend of bakers and enthusiasts selling cakes from sheds and shelves at the front of their properties.
The charge was met with a huge backlash, resulting in the council pausing enforcement against the sheds while it reviewed the policy.
It remains under review.
A spokesperson for Bassetlaw District Council said: “We understand the strength of feeling Retford residents have on this issue [regarding the ice cream van] and recognise the importance of small businesses locally.
“The council would like to provide reassurance that we are working proactively to support Mr Cairns within the framework of licensing at Bassetlaw District Council, which will allow him to continue to trade from his current location while this matter is being resolved.
“Last week, the council’s licensing team advised Mr Cairns of the conditions attached to both of the licences he currently holds, which permit him to trade in Retford. As part of this conversation, the council did not instruct Mr Cairns to stop trading from his usual position and has not banned Mr Cairns from trading.”
By Joseph Connolly, Local Democracy Reporter