A supermarket's new initiative to clamp motorists using its car park has led to outrage from

residents.

Safeway's in Westgate, Otley, has put up signs restricting shoppers to two hour's parking with warnings that it will clamp cars staying for longer periods and fines will be enforced.

Residents believe that the supermarket's car park is a public parking area and it should not be able to introduce restrictions.

Alan Hartle said: "The supermarket put the signs up on Tuesday. Businesses use it as an over-spill car park and my tenants park there.

"I understood that when it was given planning permission there was a clause stating that the car park was to be for the use of the public.

"If they are wrong they shouldn't be allowed to do this. The Council needs to re-check the original plans."

The supermarket was opened in November 1986 by Councillor Graham Kirkland. He believes that the store did initially intend for it to remain public.

"Keeping it as a public car park is something the supermarket originally said it would do but if it was ever put into the planning condition I am not sure," he said. "They might just have said they would do it.

"If it was a condition of the original planning permission they should have applied for a variation of planning consent."

Leeds City Council planning officers are now investigating the matter and are tracing the original plans.

A spokesman for the store said: "We are having to look at ways to manage the car park, since car parks in other areas of the town have started charging.

"The car park has started getting busier and we have been receiving complaints from customers, who are having to walk further with their bags.

"It is not cast in stone, but some changes will have to come into force. When we start getting complaints from customers we have to act."

President of Otley Chamber of Trade, Trevor Backhouse said: "We understand that there was a planning condition that the car park be made available for shoppers and non-shoppers.

"A lot of people use the car park to do general shopping in Otley, it is a big boom for shops, People who shop do go to Safeway's before or afterwards.

"I would be very saddened if shoppers who want to use the town can no longer use the car park."

He added that in Safeway's defence, the store is employing a security firm to look after the vehicles in the car park.