RECESSION-hit traders are furious a burger seller has been given permission to sell fast food just yards from their doorsteps.

Shopkeepers on the Broadway in Loughton say the wagon, which is due to roll into their road in January, poses an unfair threat as owner Russell Burns will only have to pay £300 for an outdoor trading licence and could therefore undercut them.

Permanent firms, on the other hand, pay around £2,500 a year in business rates and they are so concerned they have set up a petition to try to get Mr Burns’ licence revoked.

Traders have also criticised the council for not consulting them directly, and say the wagon could make it more difficult for ambulances to reach a local health clinic.

Jim Cosentino, who runs the Sir Winston Churchill pub on The Broadway, said: “I am really annoyed, to be honest. We are all struggling here, and this is really bad news for traders.

“He only pays 300 quid for a licence and I pay almost two-and-a-half grand on top of big overheads. It is hard getting by.

“Do the council want us to fail? If they are going to allow him to set up, they should drop our rates.

“He is setting up outside the college so the kids will all use it instead of the canteen, so college revenues will go down as well.

“All the council did was put a tiny notice in the back of the paper, and who is going to go looking for that?”

David Stannard, chairman of the Broadway Town Centre Partnership, echoed his concerns.

He said: “I was very alarmed when I heard about this. This is a hard time for many businesses and I am worried about the future of the Broadway. This man will only be paying a fraction of their rates so has an unfair advantage.”

The Guardian contacted Mr Burns but he declined to comment.