Street traders all over Bristol are set to be brought under controls already in force in the city centre.

The move follows complaints from the public about nuisance or anti-social behaviour.

At one hotspot, Straits Parade, in Fishponds, local councillor Bill Payne told the Bristol Evening Post: "There are several fast-food vans here.

"At closing time at the local pubs, it can get pretty rowdy with people hanging round the vans.

"Rubbish is also strewn all over the place.

"These traders have to make a living like anyone else.

"But if we could regulate them, it might, for a start, make Fishponds a little quieter on a Friday or Saturday night."

Bristol City Council's aim is also to regulate the quality of goods and services sold on the street.

The council has been asking residents to comment on the proposals on its website.

The consultation period ended yesterday.

The council said that it had wanted particularly to hear from residents whose lives were affected by the activities of unregulated street traders.

The traders themselves – both in the centre and citywide – were also invited to comment.

There has been an increasing number of complaints from local residents, says the council.

"They generally focus on hot food providers," a spokeswoman said.

"Any trader operating at these locations (outside the city centre) does not need to obtain any permission from the council."

Councillor Brenda Hugill, who chairs the council's public safety and protection committee, said: "We have to make sure that street trading takes place at suitable locations which will not result in disturbance to local residents.

"The extension of street trading controls across the city underlines our commitment to public safety and will also provide security for existing traders operating in areas not currently covered by our policy."

But in Sea Mills, residents are not so sure.

They have only recently won a campaign lasting more than two years to see the back of a kebab van that used to operate at the Square.

David Trivitt, of Save Sea Mills Garden Suburb, said: "The problem really is that the council don't appear to act on the powers they've already got."