THURROCK Council has threatened to take legal action after charges were introduced at a busy Stanford-le-Hope car park yesterday.

Shop workers were shocked to see a “Phone and Pay” sign go up in the King Street car park yesterday - which the council sold in 2013.

The sign suggests shoppers and business owners will now have to pay to park in the popular car park.

Sue Lovett, 64, of Cedar Hall Clinic, said: “There was no advanced warning what so ever. I have spoken to some of the other traders as well and everyone is in shock.

“People are stopping just to take photos. The impact is going to be severe.”

Councillor Shane Hebb, representative for Stanford-le-Hope West, said: "I was opposed to this land sale in the strongest possible sense, and now here we are fighting off car-parking charges which will cripple the Stanford community.

"I hope that the new landowner have the courtesy to reimburse every wrong paid-for car parking charge to residents who have unfairly been asked to pay them!”

“We will fight any car-parking charges which could negatively impact on our much loved shops”.

In 2012, Thurrock Council approved an application to build flats and a supermarket on the land.

The council sold the property for the construction of a mixed use development - a shop at ground floor level and 22 homes at first second and third floor level together with a car park.

The sale included a condition for not less than 100 car parking spaces in the car park being made available free of charge to the public for a minimum continuous period of three hours a day.

A spokesman for the council said: "Thurrock Council has written to the owners of the land explaining they are in breach of the sale conditions and asking them to stop.

"They have been told that if they fail to stop charging the council will take further legal action."

Attempts are being made to contact the owner.