CURRY lovers who leave vehicles on the Shoulder Of Mutton car park in Holcombe are finding a new ticketing regime hard to swallow.

Motorists using the car park in Chapel Lane while visiting the Mala Indian Restaurant nearby have been served with parking notices by the pub.

The typed demands request £60, payable to Sudbury-based enforcement firm EFPN, with an extra £27 charge for late payments.

Landlord Kevin McCarthy says the use of the car park by patrons of the restaurant has been eating into his own profits.

However, users of the car park, where warning notices are on display, say the regime is short-sighted and disregards customer loyalty.

Holcombe Brook resident Mrs Dorothy Hall had parked there to meet her husband and relatives, who had been drinking at the pub for three hours. She joined them across the road for a meal, and found a notice on the car window when they returned.

Mrs Hall (27) said: "We thought it was a joke because our party had spent so much time and money in the pub, and we didn't think that you could get a ticket like this in a pub car park."

When a demand for £87 came through her letterbox, a cheque was sent to avoid a county court summons.

Tottington resident Kieran Coe explained that he had visited the establishment 20 times, and had on only one occasion visited the restaurant without buying a pint across the road.

He said: "I think it's totally outrageous that he can't see the cross-sell between beer and curry."

Mr McCarthy said that he was operating within the law for the sake of his business, but declined to comment further.