Residents in Halfway are calling for tougher action against roadside car sales, which they say are blighting the area.

The problem has been particularly bad this summer and is still causing a nuisance, according to Halfway Houses Residents’ Association.

Cars are advertised for sale in Minster Road, often near the junction with Banner Way, because they can be seen by hundreds of drivers as they slow down on the approaches to the Halfway lights.

“It’s really anti-social,” said an association spokesman. “People who don’t live in Halfway drive their cars here and leave them by the roadside with ‘for sale’ signs on them.

“They leave these cars parked on the pavement and they block the view of drivers turning left out of Banner Way into Minster Road.

“Sometimes during the summer there were four of five cars with ‘for sale’ signs parked along this stretch. It makes it look like a second-hand car lot and is an eyesore.”

Other cars are often left in the car park at Halfway with “for sale” notices. At least two have been in the car park for weeks.

The spokesman said: “I wonder how the owner of the Motamart garage across the road feels about all these cars for sale on the road.

"He is paying business rates to earn a living, yet these people pay nothing and are depriving him of his trade.”

One of Swale council’s environment wardens has been tackling the issue on behalf of the association.

However, unless the cars are parked within 10m of a junction, or are untaxed, there is little the council can do. It only becomes illegal if one individual has one or more cars for sale within 500m.

Enforcement, which usually involves a fixed penalty fine, is time-consuming and needs proof, which is hard to get.

The association believes the law is very weak in this area and needs to be tightened up.

It’s not just at Halfway that roadside car sales are causing a problem. Minster Parish Council was told at its meeting last weeksept 20 that Cheryl Hendrie, Kent County Council community warden, had reported six cases to Trading Standards.