Residents have been left outraged after a shopkeeper installed a barrier which blocks them from reaching their own driveways. Locals living in Unity Way in Talke, Staffordshire, were astounded to find the gates had been erected outside of their homes. For several decades they could access their properties via a private road. But now, a local businessman has caused a feud with residents following the barrier installation. The move comes after the owner of Unity Way Convenience purchased the road from Aspire Housing four years ago. He claims that drivers are "damaging" the tarmac. His abrupt decision hasn't gone down well with neighbours, who cannot afford to challenge him in court. Joe Wright, who has lived in the area since in 1982, said: "Aspire has suggested I contact a solicitor, which I did, but they charge £1,900 just to listen to me and I haven’t got that sort of money. The police have said they can't do anything." The owner said that he was happy to allow the residents to use the road if they contributed to the cost of tarmac. He added: "There are so many illegal activities going on in the car park - that’s why I’ve put the barrier up. The second reason I had the gate was because I said to the neighbours they can use my road, it doesn’t matter, if they help to share the cost of tarmacing the road, but they said they don't want to share the cost of tarmacing the road. “A councillor spoke to me recently and told me that nobody should have driveways there and it’s illegal. People can walk through there, it’s just vehicles that can’t because people were driving on there all the time. Nobody is allowed to access their caravans or use their cars there because it damages my road.” Newcastle Borough Council has confirmed receipt of a complaint regarding the installation of the barrier, reports StokeonTrentLive . Councillor Andrew Fear, cabinet member for strategic planning, said: “We have received a complaint regarding a possible breach of planning control and are investigating to see if this falls within the council’s jurisdiction. We will update the complainant as soon as possible.” Aspire Housing, who sold the land, is hoping an acceptable resolution can be reached. Head of assets and sustainability, Mark Warburton, said: “This site on Unity Way was sold in February 2021, which included the shops, the land at the rear of those shops, and the footpath through to Maple Avenue. "Any formal access rights in place at the time of the sale will have been transferred as part of the sale or would have to be agreed with the owner following the sale. Our tenancy agreements do not include any specific provisions around parking or access to this site. "We will support our customers where possible and advise that any concerns around access are also raised with the owner of this land, who we hope will listen to residents’ concerns and act reasonably in considering requests for access.” The Mirror has contacted Aspire Housing and Newcastle Borough Council.