CONCERNED neighbours of a Chard supermarket say they have put up with boy racers, rats, noise nuisance and rubbish – and enough is enough.

The comments came in reaction to Tesco’s application to introduce a hand car wash at the end of its car park.

The car wash and valeting service is proposed to be sited at the rear of the Tapstone Road car park, which residents claim is already frequented by boy racers revving their cars and honking horns.

Several objectors have written to South Somerset District Council to rally against the proposals.

David Sheahan said: “I do not see the need for yet another car wash and valeting service – we already have several which are giving full-time employment to several people who deserve to have their jobs protected.

“We currently have noise and fumes from the Tesco car park and this proposed application will only increase at our house end of the car park.

“I believe there are many assumptions by Tesco regarding no extra traffic or noise levels – but they don’t live next to the site. We are very tolerant neighbours, currently putting up with cars racing around, revving engines, beeping horns until late at night, rubbish, untidy areas, rats – we do not want to have to contend with even more disruption.

“To be fair, we were here before Tesco.”

Another objector wrote to say they “strongly protest” against the application having had to put up with “far too much noise from Tesco” and boy racers.

Nursery Gardens resident Mr J Down also wrote to say that the “ludicrous”

location of the car wash was not appropriate for disabled or elderly users.

He added: “When Tesco first came to Chard, we, the residents, were very particular in getting everything right so that we and the supermarket could live in harmony.

“I certainly do not believe their statement about no material increase in noise and disturbance. This will be a terrible increase in noise and disturbance to all of the surrounding residential neighbours. There will be a considerable increase in the number of cars at this end of the car park, some of which can be incredibly noisy – just as the boy racers.

“There are bound to be pumps, compressors, water jets, as well as vacuum cleaners, and on gusty days I can imagine the spray covering several of our properties, depending on which way the wind is blowing, or will it always feel like it’s drizzling even on a sunny day when I am sitting in my garden?”

Jerry and Alison Sheahan stated their concerns over noise pollution, adding: “Who really would want a car wash in their back garden?”

Andrew Smith from nearby international business Numatic has also written to the planning authority to make an observation about water runoff.

He said: “We believe that the proposal should not be detrimental to operations on our adjacent site. But we have concerns about the potential for any water run-off that is not contained, as it may exacerbate an existing problem.

“The Tesco car park is higher than the yard outside our adjacent building and we have a history of water running into our yard at times of peak rainfall.”

A planning statement compiled by Waves Consultancy in association with the store, says that evidence shows most motorists who use other similar car washes are shopping at the store anyway.

The statement says: “The majority of our customers are pre-existing Tesco shoppers at the store where they had their car washed. We have taken data from 13 of our sites over a six-month period showing that we have 146 car wash customers on an average week. Based on our data, if only 11% of our 146 customers solely use the hand car wash, then we will create just 16 additional vehicle movements to the car park per week over and above the standard Tesco usage.”

The district council is expected to make a final decision on the application by April 14.