Mobile tattoo and piercing businesses will not be allowed to operate under a new council policy.
The policy was agreed by North Devon Council after it received inquiries from businesses wanting to provide 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 which found legislation around this subject could be interpreted in different ways, leading 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 Services