Families are furious after a car wash opened without proper planning permission in a residential street, causing noise and parking problems, they say.

Diori Hand Car Wash in Shenley Road opened last week and it has left people in the area fuming over its apparent flouting of regulations.

One neighbour, Kathy O’Hara, said: “It’s awful having it here, it’s hardly a nice view. Who’s ever going to want to buy a home here overlooking a car wash?”

Nigel Skinner, also of Shenley Road, added: “Parking is a nightmare on this road. Even on a quiet day it’s near impossible to find a space. This is only going to make things worse.”

When the Messenger visited this week the business was doing a brisk trade with three staff cleaning vehicles.

The planning application was rejected by Dartford council back in 2011 on the basis of extra parking, noise and traffic problems, but an appeal to the government’s Planning Inspectorate saw it approved.

That planning permission expired before the business was set up.

Mrs O’Hara added: “It doesn’t even comply with the original planning permission. It shouldn’t be where it is. It is meant to be hidden away behind the wall further up the road.”

The business was approved for 18-20 The Brent, alongside other commercial premises, but it has been set up further back along the adjoining Shenley Road.

The pavement has also been flattened and a drop kerb created along Shenley Road, allegedly without permission.

A 62-year-old man, who lives in The Brent, added: “I usually park where the drop kerb now is.

“It’s wiped out three parking spaces and I’ve now had to pay £9,000 to change my front garden into a parking space.

“I went through all the proper planning channels, but it seems these guys just got their mates to come down one day to flatten the path. Where’s the fairness in that?

Another man, from Shenley Road, added: “The noise is dreadful too. We have to have our windows closed and have the television turned right up to drown out the noise of the water jets.”

The manager of Diori Hand Car Wash, Albert Dahiri, left, said: “We’re working with the council to submit a new planning application as soon as possible.

“I don’t see how we can be called illegal. The only reason it’s taken us so long to open is because it took the planning people so long to approve us.

“Because it’s taken so long, the owner of the land has now leased some of the space to Practical Car and Van Rental, so they are where we were meant to be, and we had to move down.

The 33-year-old added: “We don’t want to cause trouble. We have said that if parking is an issue we have space for a couple of cars on our site, to replace to ones lost.

“As for the noise, we’re right next to a garage, and I don’t believe we’re louder than that.”

Dartford council issued the car wash with a Planning Enforcement Notice but has to wait a month before it can take any further action.

In the meantime the car wash can continue operating, and a fresh planning application can be submitted.

Dartford council leader Jeremy Kite (Con) said: “Not only is this premises unlawful, but no effort has been made to even stick to the original planning stipulations.

“Why should somebody be allowed to do that?

“It’s outrageous and I absolutely sympathise with the people of Shenley Road, who have done everything right and deserve the powers of the law supporting them.”

Cllr Kite is writing to the Planning Minister, Nick Boles, this week about a change in the law to prevent government overturning the decisions of local authorities at “the drop of a hat”.

Tina Dison, 40, of Shenley Road said: “It’s ridiculous that the council doesn’t have the power to take action. After all, what does the government know about our little road?”