£3.60 for a 99 ice-cream in a Halifax park - why summer treat is getting more expensive

The ice-cream van in Manor Heath Park shared its price list with the Courier after shock from some readers about the price of the summer favourite.

One said he was left reeling after being charged £4.95 for a 99.

Cragg Vale firm Royd Ices, which owns the van parked in Manor Heath, said their price increases are down to rising costs.

A standard 99 (a cone with whipped ice-cream and a flake) costs £3.60 from the van.

A twin 99 (a double cone) costs £4.75.

More is charged for different cones and added extras, such as £4.45 for a Sherbert 99 or a Unicorn 99, and £5.45 for a 99 with a waffle cone.

The most expensive ice-cream is a giant one – the King Cone – which is £6.50.

Blondins Diner in The Piece Hall charges £3 for a cone with a single scoop of ice-cream and a flake. According to their website, Dixon’s Milk Ices at King Cross charge £3.35 for a medium-sized 99.

A spokesperson for Royd Ices said costs have risen significantly and, as a family-run business, they can not absorb all the increase.

"Our costs have risen considerably,” they said.

"We're a family-run business and we make our own ice-cream, and everything has gone up - our utilities, the costs of ingredients, staffing costs - they've all risen substantially."

They added firms have to pay councils for a licence to trade in parks like Manor Heath, which adds to their costs.