THREE ice cream sellers caught up in the middle of a ‘cold war’ have claimed relations have thawed.

As reported in the Warrington Guardian, police were called over the Easter bank holiday after residents believed three ice cream vans were attempting to block one in.

But three of the traders including brothers Conrad and Grant Minchion and Alberto Macchiona have said they were just meeting up for a chat when a fourth van arrived and the whole incident was ‘blown out of proportion’.

Padgate man Conrad said: “We don’t want a situation where parents and children are frightened of coming to get an ice cream from us because they think it’s going to break out into gang warfare.

“We’re all licensed, legit and above board and there’s no problem between us.

“There was some confusion between me and Alberto over whose streets were whose but we were meeting up to get the rounds sorted and I told Grant to meet me there so he could get some mix from me.

“Another friend then happened to turn up out of the blue and it was just four friends talking but residents got the wrong end of the stick and the police wouldn’t listen to us.”

Pictures of the incident went viral and led to another ice cream seller criticising their behaviour and the council for not doing more.

But Conrad, who covers part of Great Sankey and Orford, Grant, who covers Padgate and Orford, and Alberto, whose patch covers Great Sankey, Chapelford and Chester Road defended the council.

Conrad added: “We couldn’t ask for a better council and they couldn’t do more than they are.

“We’re all from Warrington and work hard to make the kids on our rounds happy and make sure they can have an ice cream even in winter.”