Objection to car boot sale after complaints to police

A car boot sale in Bradley Stoke near Bristol could face sanctions after a series of complaints to the council.

The Trench Lane sale takes place every Sunday during the summer.

But Avon and Somerset Police have objected to the application for a new licence for 2011 following a number of complaints about marshals.

They include allegations of threatening behaviour. The organisers of the car boot sale were not available for comment.

According to a report compiled by South Gloucestershire Council, a man reported being escorted away from the car boot sale by two marshals on quad bikes.

The complaint was one of 11 similar problems logged by the council during the past three years.

In one, a man complained to the police about being subjected to abuse in front of his four-year-old grandson while another details a man being threatened in front of his three-year-old daughter.

On each occasion, either the council's enforcement team visited the car boot sale or the organiser was spoken to by a police officer.

Permission was originally given for the car boot sale in 2006 but the council could amend their trading licence to include training for marshals or refuse the application.

A police spokesman said they would not comment on the report ahead of a council meeting planned for Tuesday.