ICE cream sellers and other street food traders could have to keep more than 100 metres away from schools under new council rules.

Pendle Council is set to change its street trading policy to help improve child safety and tackle obesity.

This comes as recent NHS figures showed 36.5 per cent of its year six primary school children are overweight or obese, with one in five children starting school overweight.

The proposals include giving all traders child sexual exploitation safeguarding training and asking them to submit a basic disclosure check prior to initial and renewal applications.

Ice cream sellers will only be allowed to use their chimes in line with the government's Code of Practice on Noise from Ice-Cream Van Chimes.

Cllr Mohammed Iqbal, leader of Pendle Council, said the alterations would benefit both traders and children.

He said: "Children's health is a major issue in East Lancashire especially in Pendle.

"This is about making sure children are safe and healthy and we are trying to address this as effectively as possible.

"We are not out to persecute ice cream sellers or other traders, we are not in the persecuting business.

"Improving children's health is one of the council's biggest priorities and we want to work with businesses to help make this possible."

The NHS figures showed one in three youngsters across East Lancashire are obese when they leave primary school.

Cllr Joe Cooney, leader of the Conservatives on Pendle Council, said: "I think these proposals are the right idea.

"Ice cream vans can be spotted getting very close to schools and this can cause issues with traffic and congestion on our highways.

"By moving them just a little further away it will create less congestion and make the areas around schools safer for children to cross roads.

"So it's not just about keeping children healthy its keeping them safe on the roads as well.

"Our taxi drivers have undergone the safeguarding training which has been successful so food traders, who come into contact with children on a regular basis should be given the same training.

"This brings another level of security to our children."

The proposals are set to be approved at a Pendle Council meeting on Thursday evening.