Wardens try to silence town crier Henry

That was the order outraged town crier Henry Cryer said he had been given this week by council wardens who he says ordered him to stop handing out leaflets in the town centre.

The larger-than-life speaker was taken to task in All Saints’ Square by a pair of civil enforcement officers who, he claims, threatened to have him arrested if he did not stop promoting a Sheffield-based toy shop.

Despite Henry’s protests, the wardens allegedly insisted that he should not be promoting a business based outside Rotherham and brought him to book because he did not have a “pitch” on the market.

The town crier claimed that the row was only settled after the officials called the police—who told them that he was not breaking any rules or regulations—but Rotherham Borough Council flatly denied that the police had been involved.

The town crier admitted that he had been loudly encouraging shoppers to visit the out-of-town store, but maintained that he had not done anything wrong.

“They said I could be arrested if I did not move on,” he said. “I was just handing out leaflets and telling people about the store.

“I was led to believe I was breaking all kinds of rules and they frowned upon the fact that I was advertising shop that was not in Rotherham.”

Henry has represented the borough council in the past but is not Rotherham’s official town crier.

A spokeswoman for the borough council said the town crier had simply been asked by a warden not to hand out leaflets because he had not been allocated a pitch under Rotherham’s town centre trading policy.

“However, there was certainly no suggestion of anyone being arrested and the police were certainly not called to deal with this issue,” she added.

“Instead, the warden asked that the individual not hand out the leaflets or shout his wares.

“This is because we actively encourage traders to comply with the Town Centre Spaces Policy, which covers companies undertaking promotions and handing out leaflets, charitable collections and entertainers.

“The policy was developed based on consultation with shoppers and businesses and the booking system ensures that a manageable number of promotions are undertaken on any one day, thus ensuring companies enjoy a more successful response from customers.

“Obviously, we would much prefer individuals to support the shops and businesses in Rotherham but this is certainly not an arrestable offence and so the police were certainly not called.

“In fact, the wardens were discussing an unrelated issue with two passing police officers when unfortunately, it seems the individual and his colleague jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

This is not the first time that council wardens have caused a storm by laying down the law in the town centre.

Last month, shopkeepers in High Street were in the firing line over the clothing rails and kids' rides outside their shops.

High Street stalwarts Pets Pantry and Harris & Harris fell foul of licensing laws restricting the amount of highway they can use outside their shops—even though the street is pedestrianised.