A landlord who painted his 16th-century shopfronts pink was warned by a council he could be jailed - even after he complied with its instructions.

Christopher Nevill, who owns two Grade II-listed buildings home to a nail salon and hairdressers in Canterbury high street, was left feeling intimidated after receiving the enforcement notice.

He was first contacted by Canterbury City Council as part of its crackdown on “garish” store frontages. Mr Nevill then secured permission to repaint the St Peter’s Street properties a lighter shade of pink.

But despite starting work, he was shocked to receive a heavy-handed warning from the local authority this month.

Council bosses have now apologised, admitting final checks should have been carried out before the enforcement notice was sent.

Mr Nevill told KentOnline: “I received the letter on the very same day I was painting the shops with the colour approved by the council.

“They told me if you don’t do the changes you could go to jail or face an unlimited fine.

“They could have just sent me a nice email asking how the progress of the painting was coming along. But they are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, even when there is no nut to crack.”

Mr Nevill was first contacted by the local authority in 2023, having painted the outside of the properties a new shade of bright salmon without permission two years earlier.

Officials said it was not in keeping with the style of the city centre strip.

Mr Nevill applied for planning permission to recoat the exterior walls the council-approved colour of “conch parade pink” and make other requested changes regarding the shops’ signage and lighting.

His application was granted last July - giving him until July 24 this year to begin painting. But over a month before the deadline, he received the enforcement notice warning he could face a huge fine or even a spell behind bars.

“I think this has been a result of incompetence by the council,” he said.

“They need to be brought to heel and not exceed their powers. This has all made me feel intimidated and uncomfortable.”

The city council has been cracking down on “garish shopfronts that are not sympathetic to the area's heritage and history, and have been altered illegally” for more than 18 months.

Shoppers have previously raised concerns that overbearing signs, lights and paintwork are turning the high street into a “second-class Las Vegas”.

The city council says its work has been “very well received by the community” - but concedes officials should have completed a last check before sending the warning letter to Mr Nevill.

A spokesman said: "We apologise to Mr Nevill for the confusion regarding an enforcement notice relating to his shopfront.

"His shopfront was visited on May 24 and as no work had been carried out, enforcement notices legally requiring him to tone down the colour of the paint and remove signage was prepared and issued on June 18.

"However, Mr Nevill wrote to us the following day to tell us the paintwork had been completed and plans were progressing on the signs.

"We accept that a final check on the premises should have been carried out just before the notices were issued.

"We are pleased that Mr Nevill has now carried out the painting work and once the signage has been removed, we will withdraw the enforcement notice."