On Castle Street at the corner of Sweeting Street there's a newsstand managed by Robert; a thoroughly nice guy. For over thirty years he has endured everything the weather can throw at him. Monday to Friday, through summer's heat and winter's biting cold he has never left his watch.
Such is his service to the shopping and business community that few can be unaware of him (yet he is camera shy!).
Anyway, the city's licencing authority are really making it tough for Robert. He is supposed to wear an identification tag (no kidding), He forgets and he gets penalty points which could effect his licence (and his livelihood).
The town hall jobsworths actually come out with tape measures. If his newsstand is as little as 1" or 2" over; more penalty points. They constantly harrass him, ordering him to take this or that down.
He has a newspaper rack about the size of a bathroom towel warmer. One day it started to rain heavily so he pulled it in, just under the arch a couple of feet away. He was told he couldn't do that. He had to put them out - in the rain.
For God's sake will someone, please, kick the butts of these thoroughly nasty-minded jobsworths whose purpose in life seems to be the desire to make life impossible for those who, unlike their parasitical selves, DO provide a service or create wealth.
More important, if you are in town during the week, do pop around to Castle Street and pick up your newspapers and magazines from Robert. He has served us faithfully for longer than most of us can think back to. Now he deserves our support. Thanks.

Does he say why he is being harrassed?
Presumably when he started he was about the only place in Castle Street to sell newspapers and magazines, but there are quite a lot of shops now which do.
Is it they who are complaining?

Hiya Philip. Neither I nor he thinks there's such a reason as you suggest. These people 'have a job to do' as they see it, and like traffic wardens are simply inflexible in their approach to the job.
They haven't got the intellect to show a little flexibility or understanding. It is why such people are drawn to such jobs. All I would surmise is that they haven't got the bottle to irritate the bigger boys so they take it out on the little guy.

I remember Robert from way back. I used to go to him back in the 70s for a certain magazine that I wanted but Smiths refused to sell (and it wasn,t the Marmite eaters weekly news) I think he was getting harressed then for selling porn on the street.

Robert deserves a break, mind you it would help if he wore his badge, it would be one less thing to harrass him over wouldn,t it.

And I thought I was the only one who bought the Marmite Eaters Weekly News!
Yes, Robert also sells "Artistic" mags which you can't get elsewhere.