Police storm ice cream van after woman charged eye-watering £28 for just four Flake 99s
The customer was buying four ice creams for her family on a hot day
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An ice cream van was stormed by police after a customer was charged an outrageous £28 for four Flake 99s.
The police seized the van after customers complained of the extortionate pricing, with one buyer being charged £7 per 99 flake.
The vehicle attracted lots of tourists, as it was parked on one of London’s busiest sightseer hotspots on Westminster Bridge.
The Met Police and Lambeth Council took the van after it allegedly broke other regulations, including operating without a license and blocking a cycle lane.
The van has been impounded as it was operating without a licence and was parked on a cycle lane
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The owner of the van has been reported to court, according to the police force.
"I feel ripped off. It was £28 for four ice creams,” said Joanna Syzbmbor, a tourist who visited the van to buy a sweet treat.
"There were no prices displayed – I normally ask for a price but it was hot and we’d been sightseeing for eight hours.
"I paid thinking I heard it wrong. I’d already handed the ice cream to the kids so I didn’t want to be embarrassed," she told the Daily Star.
Another customer commented: "The days where you’d get change from a pound for a 99 are long gone, but £7 has got to be the most expensive one ever."
"I know everything costs more in London but this is really taking the mick."
The extortionate ice cream is believed to be the priciest ice cream in the country, the Daily Star reports.
The van has been impounded as it was operating without a licence and was parked on a cycle lane.
A spokesperson for the Council said: "An unlicensed ice cream van trading on Westminster Bridge was seized by the council. Illegal traders take advantage of visitors, lack hygiene certificates and obstruct cyclists."
The owner of the van is has been reported to court
Twitter/@PMSRTPC
Roads and Transport MPS tweeted: "Recently we've worked with MPS Lambeth North, City of Westminster and Lambeth Council to explore legal options around ice cream vans obstructing the cycle lane on #WestminsterBridge.
"We've reported offences to court, issued points, community protection notices and today, we seized."
Scotland Yard's roads and transport team said that the van would "remain in the pound" until the end of the court case.
They said they had been working with local councils "to explore legal options around ice cream vans obstructing the cycle lane".
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