Recession-hit fast-food traders have hit out at new council rules that will cost them up to £2,600 per year.

They said the move – aimed at stamping out rogue traders outside the city centre – was overkill and would hit profits.

Oxford City Council this week agreed that traders on any road or land open to the public will need a licence from the authority.

A leading councillor said it was responding to residents’ complaints and traders could afford fees.

But Les Bayliss, who has run Burger World by Wickes DIY in Botley Road for 15 years, said: “It is like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut.”

The Abingdon resident added: “It makes you wonder if it is worth doing it. It is a struggle at the moment.

“We have been here 15 years and never had a problem with the public.”

Alan Joyce, who runs tricycles selling food and drinks from Oxford railway station, Mill Street, Parks Road and Port Meadow also raised concerns.

The single parent, of Canal Street, Jericho, told the council: “The direct impact would be that I could no longer afford to house my daughter. It may also force me completely out of business and into unemployment.”

He requested a single licence for two sites, which the council is considering, but said £2,600 was unfair.

And Paul Rowcliffe, who runs the Fillin Station Snack Bar in Watlington Road, Cowley, said: “This is going to affect my business dramatically, especially with quite a small profit margin.

“It appears to me another way for the local authority to raise funds.”

But councillor Colin Cook, the executive member for city development, said the authority was responding to concerns about parked cars being offered for sale and disruptive food vans.

He said: “We have had people on streets selling hot dogs. There have been complaints about the noise and mess left afterwards.”

Asked if vendors could afford £2,600, he said: “We believe they can.”

Mr Cook said the council wasn’t making any profit, but just covering costs for things like staff and possible legal costs.

Traders can get a six-month licence for £1,300, or three months (£650); one month (£220) and one month (£60).

Street trading fees were introduced in the city centre in February and the new plans could be in place by the autumn.

The council’s general purposes licensing committee approved the latest fees on Monday.