A petition has been launched to reinstate the licence of a man to sell kebabs on Thornbury High Street.

Murat Cetin, who has traded in the town as Thornbury Kebabs for more than a decade, has been banned by South Gloucestershire Council's Licensing Sub-Committee following concerns over safety and public nuisance.

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The decision was made at a meeting of the committee on January 20. Members of the public were excluded from the item and the exact reasons why street trading consent was revoked are not clear.

The creator of the petition, which has been signed by more than 250 people, referenced anti-social behaviour from customers and an an incident where Mr Cetin reversed into one of the new planters on the high street, while parking in his usual spot outside the St Mary Centre.

In 2020, when Mr Cetin applied to renew his licence, officers recommended councillors refuse it due to the alleged criminal and anti-social behaviour of his customers.

It followed a complaint from Alan Cole, who manages the St Mary Centre on behalf of the Peer Group, that Mr Cetin had been seen selling hot food and drinks beyond the 10pm curfew.

Mr Cole said at the time there were frequent fights and customers regularly urinated in shop doorways and left unwanted food on the pavement.

But on that occasion the committee concluded there was no documented evidence linking that behaviour with Mr Cetin’s business and issued the renewal.

The latest decision has been met with anger with people sticking up for the popular trader known as Marco.

One person who signed the petition said: "Totally out of order what they are doing to this man.

"They don’t close pubs after people leave or stand outside making a trouble and how can he stop them when he’s working on his own."

Another said: "Nobody should be held accountable for the actions of other people! Marco has committed no crime."

A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said: “Following a number of concerns raised around public safety and public nuisance, our Licensing Sub-Committee recently concluded that Mr. Cetin had contravened Street Trading Policy consent conditions, and therefore was not a suitable person to hold a Street Trading consent.”