CITY of York Council could take action to clamp down on the "intrusive" and "high-pressure" tactics used by some 'gag mag' sellers and fundraisers collecting on the streets of York.

York’s Conservative Group says 'chuggers' - charity fundraisers seeking direct debit subscriptions - and gag mag sellers - for-profit sellers of joke magazines - can disrupt peoples' enjoyment during their time in the city.

The group will put forward a motion at a City of York Council meeting next week seeking a way to regulate the "aggressive activities" of chuggers and gag mag sellers.

Councillor Chris Steward, who is proposing the motion, explained: “We support charity fundraising in York and therefore it is vital we do not tar every party collecting on the streets of York with the same brush.

"We object to intrusive and high-pressure tactics which detract from visits to the city centre, and both chuggers and gag mag sellers have been called out on this behaviour on numerous occasions.

“We know that council officers have looked at this problem in the past, but the issues remain and indeed seem to get worse each summer. It is very difficult for officers to put together effective regulation because of a lot of street sellers and pedlars are regulated by national acts, some going back to the 19th century.

“Again, although some of this legislation has been amended it does not appear to be fit for purpose for the streets of York, with residents and visitors alike unpleasantly harried even after saying they want to be left alone.

“We are therefore asking officers to take another look at the regulations to see what can be done and to liaise with Make it York and York BID as well."

Cllr Steward added that York's Conservative Group is also looking for cross-party support for City of York Council to lobby the Government for changes to national laws to allow cities like York to regulate the activities of rogue street-vendors and charity workers without penalising other traders and charity fundraisers who are "not part of the problem."

Steve Brown, managing director of Make It York, says the destination management organisation does object to gag mag sellers using "aggressive" tactics to sell magazines.

He said: "These sellers don’t present a good impression for visitors to the city and this is an issue of real concern for us. They can use aggressive selling tactics and we fully support any initiatives to put a stop to this activity and to help ensure people can enjoy their visit without being approached in this way. We hope that a resolution can be found."

In 2015, The Press reported that there had been nine complaints made against sellers of the Gag Mag magazine in a month.

Residents and tourists contacted City of York Council to voice their concerns about their treatment at the hands of the joke book traders.