A pavement installed to protect children is now being illegally blocked by customers at a pub after its owner built houses on its car park, it is claimed.

A row has erupted over who is to blame for cars being left on the walkway along a slip road in High Road, Woodford Green.

The pavement was laid in March after complaints from residents that schoolchildren were being endangered on the stretch of road outside business including the Horse & Well pub.

Double yellow lines were also painted.

But Martin Ghost, manager of the neighbouring Lexus showroom, says he cannot get cars out of his business because Horse & Well customers are now blocking the footway and no action is being taken.

He said: "People are routinely parking on the pavement and the council are doing nothing to enforce restrictions.

"I have staff who have had to go into the pub and ask people to move their cars. It can be an uncomfortable experience because people are not always happy to co-operate."

Representatives of the Barclay Oval Residents Association, who campaigned for the pavement, have joined Mr Ghost in calling for bollards to be installed to deter parking.

Spokesman Michael Browne, 65, said: "We are delighted that it has been built, but it is so wide it virtually invites people to park there and there is no physical barrier to stop them.

"With the way things are now if they don’t put bollards up, it’s a safety hazard. There seems to be no interest in enforcement so effectively the council have just created a £70,000 car park."

Chingford and Woodford Green MP Iain Duncan Smith met with both men today.

He said: "There is no point having double yellow lines here if you don’t enforce them.

"I will be asking Redbridge council to ensure enforcement takes place now and that bollards are installed."

However, Stuart Gillespie, the manager of The Horse & Well pub, said bollards were not the answer.

He said: "People have been parking outside here for years, even the garage does it.

"Why didn’t they make the pavement smaller and put some parking bays in?

"If they put bollards up it will kill our business and make the residents even more unhappy because everyone will just go and park on their roads instead."

The owners of the Horse and Well are currently building flats at the rear of the pub.

Ian Brassington, of neighbouring accountants Brassington and Co, said: "If the pub are really so worried about parking perhaps they shouldn’t have built a load of houses in their car park."

Redbridge council has been asked to comment.