A cafe owner who installed bright red shutters on his shop front was landed in hot water following complaints from neighbours.

Malvin Brown was forced to fork out more than £3,000 in fines and legal costs after residents spotted a breach of planning rules at Uncle's Cafe, in Milton Road, Swanscombe.

Neighbours alerted Dartford council when the new shutters went up outside the cafe and its adjacent property, prompting its planning team to serve enforcement notices against Brown, who had not sought planning permission.

Brown, from Essex, appeared at Dartford Magistrates' Court on Monday, February 1, having failed to comply with the notices asking for the shutters' removal and was fined £500 for each breach. He was also ordered to pay the council's prosecution costs of £2,265 and the victim's surcharge of £15. The total penalty was £3,280.

A council spokesman said: "The shutters did not meet with council planning officers' standards due to their closed mesh construction and strident red colour."