WEST End buskers are flouting the rules with mics and speakers as powerful as in nightclubs, councillors were told this week.

The musicians are facing a crackdown including inc-reased charges and “de-amplification” at problem plots including in Leicester Square.

Westminster’s city management scrutiny committee on Monday heard a report about record levels of complaints about “noise nuisance” since a new licensing regime was set up two years ago. The agreement made then was that buskers would be self-regulating and there would be a “collaborative approach” with the city council.

But Kerry Simpkin, head of licensing, said: “It was very much put to us that they would be self-governing.

Unfortunately that has not been the case. It isn’t working. We need to start ramping up the restrictions.

“This is a scheme that relies on buskers to make it work, and that is part of the problem. It would work, if everyone abided by the rules.”

He added: “Leicester Square stands out. The dramatic impact it is having on local businesses means above all we need to do something. Even in the last couple of years the batteries have changed and this has allowed them to be able to plug in power banks and bring a much more powerful speaker into the square. This is something you would normally have to plug into the mains. They are not supposed to do that. But to stop it you would have to have officers coming into the square all the time. Before amplification was reasonable size, now it is effectively what is in a bar or a club.

“They are looking to maximise the revenue in 40 minutes they have.”

The Extra reported last week how a review had said city council’s inspectors faced buskers “riling-up” large crowds against them with officers being booed for trying to intervene. There were no buskers or any testimony for buskers discussed at the meeting. Extra attempted to contact the Westminster Street Performers’ Association, but with no response.

St James’s ward councillor Mark Shearer said: “I am not against busking. I love busking. But when it is taken to the extreme it becomes a nuisance, like the pedicabs. They talk about collaborative appro-aches. We have had a collaborative approach for two years. If you look at noise complaints, it just hasn’t worked… it is clear that the current licensing scheme does not go far enough, especially in Leicester Square.”

He asked if the council could “impose fines as we have done with pedicabs?”

But the council could not impose fines under health and safety legislation, the meeting heard.

The council is also looking at increasing fees and deamplifying other spots, including outside the Royal Opera House.

Cllr Melvyn Caplan said: “We need support, as we have seen with pedicabs. To enforce anything, we cannot do these operations without police support.”

Deputy council leader Aicha Less: “City inspectors… are getting booed by audiences. Police officers, it’s not a priority for them. We don’t want to have a city inspector to be out there every time. But this is one of our priorities, it is for me anyway.”