A ROW over the removal of dozens of vintage vehicles from a museum's back yard could end up in court after bosses threatened to scrap them.

The historic vans, buses and railway carriages are parked on public land next to the Pump House Museum, in Walthamstow's South Access Road.

But owners have been ordered to remove them as the council is trying to sell the land to housing developers.

The museum's management reached an agreement with the council, which would see the land sold off and a cheap 30-year lease awarded for the main building.

But critics say the character and historical value of the Pump House, which showcases the borough's industrial history, has been severely compromised as a result.

The vehicle owners say they were given a deadline to remove them by the end of March, but they claim this is unreasonable because the land has not yet been sold.

They also say the huge costs and logistical problems of moving items such as train carriages means it could take several months to remove the historic vehicles.

The owners have been further enraged after they were sent a letter from the museum saying they could be fined and the vehicles scrapped if action was not taken.

Mick Northfield, 49, owns a district line underground train at the site.

He said: “I think it's unbelievable the way we're being treated.

“Moving these huge and historic vehicles is not easy, I'll have to spend at least £2,000 to £4,000 just to hire a truck and then of course there's the question of where you put them.”

Fellow transport enthusiast Geoff Burtenshaw, 62, who has an historic Greenline coach parked at the site, added: “Most of the vehicles are not road-worthy and do not have an MOT.

“It's not like you can just drive them out into the street.”

Both sides have threatened legal action and the vehicle owners are considering taking out an injunction to stop the museum dismantling their vehicles.

Peter Spence, the chairman of the museum's board, said the owners were being unreasonable.

He said: "It was never the case that these individuals would be able to have their vehicles there forever. This would have happened some day, but it's just happened a little sooner than they expected.

"These people think they've got free parking for life, so I can understand that they don't want this to end.

"But under our new agreement with the council we've been given much better terms and we're working very well with them. The future of the museum is being secured but these people are delaying everything."

The council's cabinet member for corporate resources, business and employment, Cllr Afzal Akram, said the vehicle owners had been given “plenty of time” to find alternative arrangements but said the authority may allow one final extension to the deadline if necessary.

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