Town centre business owners are angry after being sent letters from the council telling them to ditch the metal shutters used to protect their shops.

Letters have been sent to five sites in Gabriel’s Hill, Maidstone, from the local authority claiming they were breaking the law and would need to remove their shutters or apply for planning permission.

The street is lined with shoe shops, jewellers, a fish and chip shop, bakeries and mobile phone stores.

Now, owners fear the sudden rule change will stop them from being insured and kill off the high street.

Lisa Townend, 55, has run Mr T’s Jewellers, which was opened by her late husband, for 23 years.

“I thought it was a joke at first,” she fumed. “We’ve been here since 2000 and all of a sudden it’s a problem.

“If I didn’t have shutters I’d have no insurance. Is the council going to pay for my new glass windows when they get smashed every week?”

Mrs Townend, from Rochester, was told by a council officer the area is a designated heritage asset which is why they were trying to get rid of shutters.

The shop owner added: “I just think… get a life. It’s ridiculous expecting us to do this now.

“It’s going to kill the high street and there’s going to be empty shops which are worse than shutters.”

Another business owner on the street, who wants to remain anonymous due to the fact they haven’t received a letter yet, agreed with Mrs Townend it will have a negative effect on the area.

They said: “We were told it’s a conservation area and the council want an open shop approach – but it’s a tarmac covered street.

“Those shutters are our first line of defence and without them, we won’t get our insurance. It won’t help the businesses and will be the killing of the high street. It’s a short-sighted idea.”

A Maidstone council spokesman said: “The council has recently launched new shop front guidance which explains why external shutters are inappropriate to designated heritage assets. This guidance provides information about installing shutters if there is a justified reason and how consent would be required for listed buildings.

“As a result we have recently approached five businesses in Gabriel’s Hill that have external shutters within a Conservation Area and on listed buildings. These businesses do not have permission for external shutters and therefore are officially breaking the law.

“We are in discussion with these businesses about alternative options.”

New shop front guidance from the authority says shop fronts should “entice potential buyers into the shop” and they want to “avoid bland, soulless shops and reinstate the individualism of Maidstone town centre”.