ILLEGAL street hawkers peddling their wares in Oxford's main shopping street are turning it into a cluttered eyesore, shoppers and traders said.

Opportunist traders selling clothes, jewellery, shoes and toys litter busy Cornmarket Street every Saturday - and nearby store holders claimed they were taking away their custom.

But last night, Oxford City Council, responsible for enforcing street trading, admitted it was powerless to do anything about it and could not afford to pay for enforcement at weekends.

Traders in the nearby Covered Market claimed the number of hawkers had dramatically increased in the past year.

Liam Moore, of jewellery shop Bangles, said: "They haven't got licences and they don't pay taxes so they can undercut us.

"Business on a Saturday is down 80 to 90 per cent and for a small business that is a lot of money.

"It is getting to the point where we would be better off joining them."

He said he had counted eight pashmina stalls, four scarf stalls, six jewellery stalls and two shoe stalls one Saturday.

A Pedlar's Certificate issued by the police allows a trader to stop, make a sale and carry on.

But to set up shop in a street and wait for customers to buy goods is classed as street trading and is illegal.

Police can enforce illegal street trading, but prosecutions are brought by the city council.

In January, Oxford City Council prosecuted three people for illegal street trading under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.

They were all foreign nationals and were fined £250 each.

Andrew Hall, manager of jewellers' John Gowing in the Covered Market, said: "Nobody seems to know what is happening - particularly on Saturday afternoons."

City councillor Jean Fooks, executive member for a cleaner city, said: "We have not got enough resources to enforce it, either during the week or during the weekend."

Joy Cohen, who runs a stall selling scarves, said: "Everybody likes us. If customers didn't like it they would complain - but not a single customer has gone to the police or to the council to complain."

Manuel Esciliant, who runs a jewellery stall, added: "Many people like the stalls."

Supt Brendan O'Dowda, commander for Oxford city, said: "This is mainly a joint council and trading standards issue."

But he said police would get involved if there was intimidation of customers.