The return of the accused ringleader of a group of pedlars 24 hours after he was turfed out of Oxford should sweep away any lingering debate on the issue.

Many people have sprung to the defence of pedlars in our city, claiming generally they add to the street atmosphere in increasingly anodyne high streets dominated by chain stores.

They are a little like buskers (another point of controversy brewing here), they say.

That is true as a theory, but this weekend proves this is not various individuals maintaining an independent way of life selling their wares on the street.

That Yosef Arvatz apparently saw fit to return to Oxford yesterday with a fresh band of workers, after being expelled by a council crackdown on Saturday, shows the council is right to target this issue.

It is open to speculation what prompted their return. Perhaps the pedlars thought the council's crackdown was toothless because it would probably only be a one-day event or, possibly, such are the economic opportunities that it was worth the risk of being caught again.

But it proves this is definitely a professional commercial operation and, as such, it destroys the argument for leaving them alone.

Why should one set of very business-orientated 'traders' be allowed to thumb their noses at the rules and take trade away from established firms here in the city who pay their rents and rates?

Simply, they shouldn't.

We know oney is tight at the city council, but our political leaders must keep up the enforcement until Mr Arvatz and his ilk finally realise Oxford is not a rich pitch for them.