Licensing laws are not there purely to bring in revenue, but to protect the public.

Which is why it is right that Bradford Council has pledged to crack down on fast food outlets who trade without the appropriate licences.

When anyone opens a takeaway, they must put their case for opening hours before the licensing panel.

Restrictions, such as for opening times, are not put in place to limit the business, but for a variety of social reasons.

It is not acceptable, for instance, to have the noise and disturbance associated with a food outlet going on too late into the night for the sake of those living in the vicinity.

There is also the health issue – food outlets are strictly enforced on hygiene issues and if they are operating without the appropriate licences they may not be adhering to guidelines on food preparation and storage.

The Scores On The Doors system allows consumers to check the star rating of food outlets at scoresonthedoors.org.uk, to ensure their favourite takeaway complies with cleanliness and hygiene requirements.

Those who flout the regulations – for example, by opening throughout the night when they are not licensed to do so – gain an unfair advantage over those food businesses which do follow the rules.

Only a level playing field of fully licensed premises is fair, safe and neighbourly.