RESIDENTS protecting verges outside their homes have received warning letters from council chiefs who fear huge bills over the issue.

Householders in Redcar have been left annoyed by inconsiderate motorists parking on grass verges and turning greenery into mud baths.

In protest, disgruntled residents have placed boulders and large flowerpots on verges to try to block the cars.

But council chiefs have written to homes in Stanley Grove, Gosforth Avenue and Borough Road, telling them they are breaking the law.

Letters to a number of homes in the area have been delivered after receiving a report of a child tumbling over one boulder.

The council has carried out inspections along the streets, detailing how many boulders, some the size of large watermelons, flowerpots and half barrels have been placed.

Now, residents have been urged to remove them as they are contravening the Highways Act and the council believes there will be many more incidents to follow.

Despite sending letters of complaint to the council, residents are in a stalemate situation.

But one councillor admitted that the only solution at the moment would cost Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council millions of pounds.

Coun Eric Empson said steel fences could be erected by the roadside but that would be an expensive undertaking for the council.

Coun Empson, cabinet member for strategic planning, development and infrastructure, said: "We must have a degree of sympathy for the residents.

"But they are breaking the law, which could bring costly court cases for the council.

"The only resolution I can see at the moment would be to erect small fences, around one-foot high, in problem areas.

"Some parts of the borough have these. But if we use this as a borough-wide solution, and more and more people request them, it would cost us our budget for the next ten years.

"We are going to have to sit down with these residents and explain the situation and members of the relevant departments are going to have to come up with a cost-effective solution."