A CAFE owner who painted his shop’s shutters red without permission must pay £3,280.

Planning approval had not been given to Malvin Brown, the owner of Uncle’s Cafe in Milton Road, Swanscombe.

Dartford Council served enforcement notices following complaints by residents but Brown did not comply.

A council spokesman said the shutters did not meet with council planning officers’ standards due to their closed mesh construction and strident red colour.

Brown, from Essex, was prosecuted at Dartford Magistrates’ Court on February 1, where he was found guilty of failing to comply with two enforcement notices and fined £500 for each offence.

He was also ordered to pay court costs of £2,265 and a victim’s surcharge of £15.