COUNCIL 'Scrooges' are seeking a High Court injunction against Clacton's popular Christmas Wonderland.

Tendring Council warned operators of the festive attraction, at the St John’s Plant Centre site in Earls Hall Drive, off St John’s Road, they are committing a criminal offence by remaining open without permission.

Christmas Wonderland reopened last week despite being told by officials it must close for the rest of the festive period.

Council spokesman Nigel Brown said the council has applied for a High Court injunction against the attraction and is waiting to hear if it has been successful.

The matter was lodged with the court in London on Wednesday morning.

Mr Brown said the council does not issue temporary stop notices very often and it is only the second in the past ten years.

“It is not something that was done lightly and to breach that notice is a criminal offence which carries an unlimited fine should a case be found proved,” he said.

“We have now applied to the High Court in London for an injunction to call a halt to this unauthorised trading and we are waiting to hear if that application has been successful.”

He said the council is also considering whether to prosecute over the breach of the Temporary Stop Notice.

Tendring Council issued the notice after traffic concerns were raised by Essex County Council, which said the access road is too narrow to allow two vehicles to pass on Earls Hall Drive, leading to an increased risk of collisions in St John’s Road.

St Osyth Parish Council said it feared the volume of traffic would cause “absolute chaos”.

But angry customers have also threatened protests and a march if it is forced to close.

Kevin Rose, of Hudson Close, Clacton, took his three-year-old grandson Jacob to the site.

He said: “We queued for a bit for the car park and for the Santa train, but you can queue for supermarket car parks at this time of year and they don’t cancel that.

“I know it causes traffic congestion but you get that on the A12 and M25.

“If the council had allowed plans to improve the access road then there would be no congestion.

“I think it’s disgusting – everyone is up in arms about it. The people of Clacton won’t stand for this.

“My grandson loves it there. The council are killjoys. They are Scrooges, and they’re ruining Christmas for the kids”

The decision to issue the stop notice led to a massive social media backlash and more than 4,000 people signed a petition within a matter of hours.

A poll of 1,572 people on the Gazette’s website found 75 per cent of people believe the council was wrong to take action against the attraction.