A row between Ashford Borough Council (ABC) and residents of the borough continues as more areas are suddenly being hit with parking permits.

Over the past two weeks people have been stunned to receove letters and parking permits from UK Car Park Management Ltd (CPM) stating that residents would now need permits to park near their homes.

Some residents in Newtown received their letters earlier last week, however people in Tenterden and Singleton just two days before the restrictions were due to be enforced.

Shaun Akehurst, lives at Longfield in Tenterden, was informed by UK Car Park Management Ltd (CPM) on Saturday that restrictions were being introduced in the road – where he has parked freely for 27 years – from Monday.

The father of two, who works for South East Water said: “We haven’t been consulted over the parking permits at all, there have been no letters sent and there haven’t been any signs put on lamp-posts about it.”

And ABC has admitted it failed to tell residents about its plans to introduce permits but says it acted after years of receiving complaints about the spaces being misused across the borough.

Mr Akehurst, 57, who bought his Longfield home in 1990, owns a VW Camper Van and drives a work vehicle. His wife Gillian, 48, has a car and sons Billy, 22, and Henry, 17, each have a car, while Billy also has a works vehicle.

He said: “It’s ridiculous we are being told that we can only have one permit and a visitor’s pass but we have six vehicles that we need to park.”

Longfield is an unadopted road so homeowners are technically responsible for its maintenance and Mr Akehurst has been clearing away overgrown shrubs from the bays where the family park their cars.

He believes that its status means that parking permits cannot be enforced and said: “Someone has made a boo-boo here because Longfield is a private road, they can’t issue us with permits.”

He claimed that when Tesco in Smallhythe Road was built, the developer paid residents of Longfield a sum of money for allowing road alterations, recognising them as owners of the road.

ABC said its legal advisers believe that although Longfield is an unadopted road it is on land owned by its housing department.

Mr Akehurst said his permit was not included in the letter he received on Saturday, so he could not have displayed it by Monday.

He said people working in Tenterden sometimes park their cars in Longfield but that it was not a significant problem.

ABC has stressed that it is trying to stop drivers misusing its dedicated bays and car parks intended for people living in council-owned housing and that if off-road parking is available it can be used without fear of enforcement.

Mr Akehurst said: “People who live in Longfield are being punished for no reason and all the neighbours are up in arms about it.

"One of my neighbours has been told he can park in Bridewell Lane car park if he does not have enough permits for his family but you have to pay for that.

“It’s mind-boggling that there has been absolutely no consultation about this. The letter we received on Saturday was like a bolt from the blue.”

However, over in Newtown where the scheme was originally introduced, many residents are now celebrating as the parking permit scheme has now been put on hold.

A meeting to discuss the permits was held on Monday with residents, the South Willesborough and Newtown Community Group, and representatives of Ashford council’s housing team.

The parking permits for the Newtown Green area – Wainwright Place, Belmont Place, Maunsell Place, Bulleid Place and Baxendale Court – have now been put on hold “pending further consultation”.

An Ashford council spokesman said: “The concerns of residents were listened to by a representative from the council’s housing team and the decision was taken that residents will receive further literature through their doors and asked to give feedback about the plans.

“While the trial has been introduced in a large number of the housing-owned car parks it may work in some and not in others, so it may end up in some areas but not in others.

“We will listen to the constructive feedback of residents this is a trial and we will evaluate how effective the measures are in the coming weeks.”

A second meeting will be held next month to decide the future of the parking permits in Newtown and CPM has been told by Kent County Council to remove their signs.