BUSKERS are seeing their performances “hijacked” by large groups and are becoming a magnet for anti-social behaviour in the city centre.

A council meeting also heard that some businesses have complained about the noise created by street performers, with one councillor saying some acts are “extremely monotonous”.

Jane Mowat from the council’s community safety team said busking is part of York’s “vibrant culture” but that it does create problems.

Speaking at a council meeting on Tuesday, she said: “We have got these challenges with certain buskers making a lot of noise that’s affecting the business community.

“Last summer we saw a particular spike because of the nice weather. We saw a significant increase in the number of buskers and quite often they were being hijacked by groups and that creates a big crowd.

“We are very mindful that we are a compact city.”

And she added that some musicians refuse to come to York anymore because they do not like it when passers-by grab their microphones.

The council is working with Make It York to update the city’s guide to busking document and Ms Mowat said street performers can also display a card saying they will not hand their microphone over to members of the public.

She added: “We are working with a group of buskers and made sure they are happy. It’s designed to protect their interests.”

But Cllr Chris Cullwick highlighted Coney Street as an area where he said busking is particularly bad and asked if an 8pm curfew could be enforced

He said: “It can be pretty awful in Coney Street. The busking that concerns me most is that in the late or early hours, particularly in Coney Street, some of which is extremely monotonous and can become a focus for anti social behaviour and certainly doesn’t encourage residential development.”

Ms Mowat said it would be difficult to get a curfew agreed and added that the council had previously outlined plans to audition buskers before they were allowed to perform, but that it had not been possible to legally enforce the policy.

She added that patrols monitor the city centre and officers will take action when they discover anti-social behaviour related to busking.

A report prepared for the meeting says: “All partners recognise that busking and street entertainment plays a valuable role in contributing to the vibrancy of the city centre, but that consideration must also be given to ensure that it does not have a negative impact on businesses and visitors. Enforcement action will only be taken when complaints cannot be resolved through informal discussions.”

Work on the updated busking guidelines is expected to be completed by June.