Doug back at the station

From the archive, first published Tuesday 24th Apr 2007.

Trader Doug Fowler was this week back selling newspapers outside Braintree railway station -after finding out that he should never have been moved on in the first place.

When Mr Fowler lost the licence to trade from the buffet inside the station, he applied to trade on the road outside the building. Two weeks ago he was sent a letter from One Railway threatening legal action for trading on its land, but this week Essex County Council has confirmed it is local authority land.

So now, after applying for a second trading licence, and paying £350 to park the van he trades from on the Braintree District Council owned car park, he has discovered there has been a fuss about nothing.

Mr Fowler, 57, of Wethersfield, said he is considering re-applying for a licence to trade outside the station where he was before, so that he and his wife Margriet can serve customers approaching from both sides of the station.

He said: "Commuters are happy to see me back. There are a few people coming from the other direction who haven't seen me, because they didn't realise I was back. I said you should have read the Braintree and Witham Times.

"I think One should give me compensation. It's just bullying tactics.

"I don't really make a living from this but it's better than being out of work. My wife has had to get a cleaning job. We've always worked together, for the last seven years.

"One have had that buffet place up for rent for the last four months now."

Regular commuter Maggie Croucher said: "We are glad he's back. Its a bit inconvenient to find a newspaper in the morning when all you want to do is to crawl onto the train.

"Additionally he's a wonderful character, and we missed him for that too."

A spokesman for One Railway said: "We are sorry for any confusion caused. Now that ownership issues have been clarified, we have no objection to Mr Fowler trading on council-owned land."