Cars appear to have been mysteriously disappearing from one area of Watford and turning up nearby a short while later.

No this is not a supernatural force at work, rather the “appalling” work of a highways contractor which compounded a simple timing error by physically moving residents’ cars without their permission.

Kiely Bros, working on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council, erected signs in Brighton Road informing residents that they would need to move their cars by Tuesday morning so they could carry out two days of resurfacing works.

However it appears as though the contactor got the dates wrong by one day, and when on Monday morning – a day earlier than advertised – residents had not moved their vehicles, Kiely came in with a truck and began moving them to nearby Sussex Road themselves.  

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst says this is not the first time Kiely has made mistakes in this area of Watford.

“Two weeks ago they were down to resurface Brighton Road but this was cancelled the next day because they had not correctly prepared the surface for the tarmac,” he said.

“It’s an unmitigated disaster – a scandalous disgrace. They’ve made a fundamental mistake in the same road on more than one occasion.

“It’s absolutely appalling. If they can’t get that right then then should be suspended by the council until they can assure these mistakes won’t happen again.”

In an email seen by the Watford Observer, the deputy director of Hertfordshire County Council’s highways department Rob Smith apologised to councillors for the contractor’s “appalling service”, adding: “It is completely unacceptable.”

He also said he had summoned Kiely Bros to an urgent meeting to “take them to task” on the issue.

Workers from Kiely Bros reportedly visited residents on their doorsteps today (Tuesday) to apologise for the error.

Kiely Bros has been contacted for comment.