A pub has brought in ANPR to clamp down on non-customers using its car park —sparking fears of a "parking nightmare" and damage to businesses.

The Red House in Watford Road, Croxley Green, is just across from the train station and near to a number of shops.

The Greene King boozer already has a pay and display car park "for patrons only", though people often use it when shopping elsewhere.

But from March 29, the pay and display will be scrapped and replaced by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), with people having to enter their registration inside the pub.

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Although the car parks were apparently always supposed to be exclusively for customers, there was some backlash to the move from locals on social media to the rule being enforced.

People were concerned it will affect trade for nearby shops, with one claiming “parking on Watford Road will become a nightmare”.

A spokesperson for the Red House said: “Over the years we’ve seen increasing numbers of people using the car parks, but not the pub, and this has meant customers have been unable to park and access the pub.”

Scott Mcgarvie, who owns the Anchor, Tap & Bottle in Watford Road, is concerned the change could be “problematic” as he thinks that quite a lot of his customers use The Red House.

“I’m not sure where else there is to park around here if people are popping in to pick up a takeaway,” he said.

Watford Observer: The Red House, Croxley GreenThe Red House, Croxley Green (Image: Google Street View)

“There aren’t many spaces down by the houses.”

Duli Ramawickrama, who manages the nearby Inspired by D Hair and Beauty, says she has noticed “almost everyone” visiting some shops in the row use the car park.

She said: “It is quite surprising, I think customers rely on that parking, particularly for the post office and the dentists too.

“I think some of our customers use it.“