A CRACKDOWN on markets and car boot sales in Plymouth could leave charities and Plymouth Argyle Football Club tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket.

New rules approved by the city council's Cabinet could cut the number of highly popular Stonehouse Creek car boot sales from every Saturday and Sunday to just 12 a year and limit them to 50 pitches. On a good day now they have around 100.

"This is the kiss of death for car boot sales in Plymouth," Mark King, organiser of the Stonehouse Creek sales, said.

Argyle's weekly car boot sales could be made economically unviable by a new £160 licence and rules that say no organiser or site should have more than one Sunday event in any 28-day period, spokesman Rick Cowdery said.

Under the rules, which must still be approved by the full council, Plymouth would also have the power to stop any markets in Saltash.

The city has the right to control any markets within six-and-two-thirds miles of the Pannier Market. This puts Saltash squarely in the city's sphere of control.

Saltash Conservative councillor Joe Ellison said: "We have a street market during the Regatta, but if Plymouth should attempt to stop that there would be an uproar – but it's all theoretical, isn't it? I can't see them even trying to enforce this across the Tamar."

The Stonehouse Creek sales raise up to £30,000 a year for Stonehouse Community Centre. Mr King, an Independent city councillor for St Peter and the Waterfront, said: "We've been doing this for more than 20 years and we've never had to apply for a licence.

"All our proceeds go into helping to run the community centre. We don't get any funding from anyone else.

"I'm disappointed that the city never came and spoke to us about this. We have a voluntary code that we agreed with the council a few years ago restricting what can be sold."

Rick Cowdery, of Argyle, said: "This will affect us badly." A 50-pitch limit and the £160 licence fee meant the club would make so little after staff costs that the sales would no longer be viable.

The city is moving to enforce its ancient rights in the wake of a row over unauthorised stalls on the Barbican last summer, where a long battle between the council and the organiser resulted in the market's closure.

Cabinet member Glenn Jordan said: "One of the things that's been a big problem is health and safety around car boot sales.

"It'll also reassure the public that if they buy from a car boot sale they're buying from a legitimate person."

A council spokeswoman said: "We have no intention of interfering in another local authority's jurisdiction, though there may be issues of common interest.

"Markets and car boot sales have not been adequately controlled in the past.

"We do not intend to implement the policy in a draconian manner when it comes to existing markets and car boot sales, but we will certainly be talking to the operators to satisfy ourselves that they have the appropriate public liability insurance and are running their business in a safe and legal manner."

The new policy will be introduced in September, and the council is asking current operators to give their views.

The distance of 6.6 miles between markets is established by ancient common law, dating back at least as far as the 13th century, and reckoned to be half the distance a flock of sheep could be driven in a single day.