Mobile tattoo and piercing businesses will no longer be allowed to operate under a new council policy.
North Devon Council agreed the policy after receiving inquiries from businesses that wanted to offer tattooing, cosmetic piercing and other skin treatments from mobile units.
Businesses offering these services have been told they can only operate from fixed premises that can be inspected and registered.
The council said the decision would make it easier to monitor hygiene and enforce public health standards.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council's policy follows independent legal advice that found legislation on this subject could be interpreted in different ways, which led some other authorities to allow mobile premises.
The council said fixed premises gave practitioners and regulators greater control over infection prevention, hygiene and waste management.
It added that the treatments could be invasive and carried a risk of blood-borne viruses and other infections if appropriate safety measures were not followed.
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Local Democracy Reporting Service
Council Bans Mobile Tattoo and Piercing Businesses