OPERATORS of an unauthorised car wash have been given their marching orders.

Turlbrook Properties, which owns the former Railway Hotel, in Pitsea Broadway, had rented the site to a hand car wash business.

Bosses allowed workers to start washing just days after the council refused permission for the operation earlier this month.

However, after the council served a legal stop notice, workers and the signs for the car wash, which were all over the pub forecourt, have gone.

Phil Taylor, manager of funeral directors T Cribb and Sons, opposite the pub, is relieved.

He said: “It’s not my place to say how someone else runs their business, but it was unsightly.

“It did not really fit in with the area, and did not seem to be doing much work.

“It simply needs to be reinstated as the building it should be.”

The future of the site is now unclear.

Turlbrook has planning permission to transform the pub into shops and eateries, but has put this development on hold due to the recession.

Bosses seemed determined to use the site as car wash as a temporary measure.

Michael O’Connell, who runs Turlbrook, had previously said the car wash would remain in place while his firm launched an appeal against the refusal of planning permission with the Government’s Planning Inspec-torate.

He is confident of an appeal win, because councillors who objected to the application went against the advice of council officers who said it should be given temporary permission.

Yesterday, Mr O’Connell was unavailable for comment.