Winwick Car Boot is threatened by Warrington Council

The order was issued by Warrington Borough Council at the end of July, and relates to the alleged breach of planning permission by those running the car boot sale.

As per the enforcement order, it is alleged that the car boot is now using land that does not have permission for use as a car boot sale, and is therefore a breach of the planning permission that was granted for the whole of the car boot.

The car boot sales are popular events, both in the week and at weekends (Image: Newsquest)

It is noted by the council that the enforcement order relates to the activities of the car boot sale that takes place on a Wednesday morning.

According to the order, land at the Laurels is being used for car parking, which is not - the council says - permitted.

The enforcement order states that this must cease by October 1, if no appeal has been lodged by then.

It has also been suggested that the car boot is responsible for increased levels of traffic in the area, given the popularity of the events.

Now, however, the organisers of Winwick Car Boot - which is Warrington's largest - have called out the enforcement order, saying that the increased traffic is not the fault of the car boot and that the council's order threatens the livelihoods of some traders.

There are also planning applications in the pipeline which seek to vary the conditions of car boot sales in future.

In a statement sent to the Warrington Guardian, the organisers say that permission was previously granted for the activities of the car boot, which would total some 184 events - current applications from the organisers seek to reduce events to 108 across the year, a 40 per cent reduction in operations.

The statement continues: "The Wednesday car boot started in summer 2021 replacing the already permitted auctions; it is a much smaller event than the Sunday sale due to it being a school and working day.

"Recent traffic issues were caused mainly because the roundabout over the M62 at junction nine had a lane closed around it for over eight months.

"This was highlighted in an article in the Warrington Guardian on March 27 titled 'Update on lane closures to Winwick Road roundabout at M62 J9' with traffic queues at peak times backing up through Winwick and the A49 from Warrington Town centre.

"We operate on a Sunday, and now Wednesday, yet the traffic chaos was every day.

"The parking that has been reported on Delph Lane is inconsiderate in places but there is little that can be done as there are no yellow lines as highlighted by enforcement officers each Sunday."

The car boot sales take place on a Wednesday and a Sunday (Image: Newsquest)

Organisers add: "We do not encourage parking anywhere offsite as we have adequate parking on our two sites."

The statement goes on to reference that many people use the car boot sales as a source of income, and enforcement orders like this threaten that: "We have hundreds of letters of support for our applications.

"The car boot sales provide a much-needed lifeline to many people struggling with the current rise in the cost of living, many have said that visiting the sale is their only affordable outing and they look forward to seeing people and socialising; without it, they wouldn’t get out.

"They provide an excellent way of recycling unwanted items preventing them from ending up in landfill.

"Car boot sales have increased in popularity across the country for these many reasons."

The statement concludes: "Maybe those people who are opposed to (and do not rely on) the car boot sale ought to reflect on the significant positive impact it brings to the lives of countless others who do greatly depend on it."