A SNACK wagon has been given permission to continue to trade from a lay-by in Willersey, despite concerns expressed by residents.

Mr Mehmet Okten, from Chipping Norton, has been granted a six-month provisional licence to continue trading by Cotswold District Council.

The decision was taken despite fears raised by people living near the lay-by on the B4632 road to Broadway.

Roger Kearney said the smells created by the van nauseated him and his wife. He also expressed fears that the van would attract "yobs" late at night. "I speak on behalf of myself and my neighbours when I say that we have house signs trashed and thrown in the opposite fields, tyres on our cars punctured and we ourselves have had our locked iron gates forced open and our pot plants smashed.

"We are also very much aware that there is a drug problem in both Broadway and Willersey which appears to go unchecked."

Other objections to the scheme included concerns over vermin and the impact on the environment.

Council licensing officer Alison Brown said the situation would be monitored over the next six months before any decision was taken to extend the street trading consent any further.