Layby food vans could be told to hit the road if they don't clean up their act.

Cherwell District Council heard the vans, many of which trade along the A34 near Weston-on-the-Green, attract rats and litter, while customers use nearby fields as toilets. Councillors recommended the vans should be banned from laybys after an inspection showed unsatisfactory hygiene conditions.

But the traders have now hired litter-pickers and pest controllers to tidy up the laybys in a bid to save their businesses and save themselves from the dole queue.

Nicky Socas, of Steeple Claydon, who helps run the Boss Hogg stall said: "It's a kick in the teeth. I feel very strongly that councillors should come down and see what they are talking about. The motorway service stations are too expensive. It would be a shame if we had to go because it would be the lorry drivers being victimised."

Stallholders recently handed a petition to council leader Wendy Humphries arguing they were providing a valuable service to lorry drivers.

But councillors agreed to investigate banning layby trading along that stretch of the A34. The findings of a 28-day consultation will be reported back to the environment committee before a final decision is made. Bicester town Mayor John Hanna (Lab, Bic), chairman of the environment committee, said: "This is a serious environmental health problem with a risk to adjacent land. We had complaints from some landowners that the waste attracted rats. Our officers will monitor whether their contractors are working.

"If the environmental health problem disappears as a result of the traders' actions it may be that we resolve not to designate the A34 a prohibited area. I have an open mind."

Council principal committee administrator Alan Eastman said the initial report was ordered because the problems were costing the council about £12,750 a year in cleaning and pest control.

He added: "The traders need to submit an over-riding case so that the council will not take any action to have them removed."

Stretches of road along the A41 between Bicester and the M40, the B430 between the A34 and the M40 and the A44 from Peartree roundabout to the junction with the A4095 near Bladon could also be affected by the possible ban.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.