A PINK and purple shop front which caused a heated planning dispute in a town centre has been painted over.

Peter and Ann Lown called in decorators to tone down their 300-year-old shop in Market Place, Barnard Castle, County Durham, and put an end to the arguments.

Castle Cards, which sells greetings card, and the two storeys above it, have been repainted in a pale lemon shade that looks almost white.

When the shop opened yesterday, several customers went in to say they were sorry to lose the cheerful pink walls, with purple window surrounds, that had been a feature for months.

Mr Lown said: "People liked the pink front and said it fitted in nicely with the cards and novelties we sell. But rather than battle on, we decided to comply with what the planners wanted."

Officials from Teesdale District Council said the bright colour scheme was not in-keeping with the listed building or the rest of Market Place, where many of the properties are centuries old.

Despite protests by the couple, backed by a petition signed by 1,500 people, council members ordered them to tone down the colour scheme.

Mrs Lown said yesterday: "We are annoyed that the council can come along and dictate what we do with our property. Nearly everyone who came in said they liked the pink shade."

Mr and Mrs Lown showed a planning officer a lemon paint they wanted to use, but he requested a paler shade and they agreed.

The walls are to get a second coat and the window surrounds will be painted light grey.

The couple, who have owned the shop for 12 years, said they chose the original bright colour scheme to match the image of their business and their pink carrier bags.

David Hand, the council's principal planning policy officer, said: "It is good to know that this matter has reached a satisfactory conclusion."