Councillors are seeking a showdown with supermarket bosses to avoid a “gridlock nightmare” at Neats Court on Sheppey.

As the massive 14-acre Aldi distribution centre takes shape, town councillors at Queenborough have joined forces with local transport boss Paul Wigglesworth to head off a huge traffic jam feared for the A249.

Town councillor Jackie Constable is part of a working party which met outside the £50 million depot. She said: “We are already getting many complaints about lorries parking overnight on pavements in Thomsett Way.

“The junction with the A249 is already gridlocked at certain times and will only get worse once the new distribution depot opens. It’s going to be a nightmare. We welcome the new jobs but I don’t think anyone realised how vast the area would be.”

Haulier Mr Wigglesworth warned that extra lorries would cause gridlock.

Mrs Constable added: “We want Aldi to explain how it will stop overnight parking in nearby roads, especially when its delivery drivers run out of time.”

Aldi has yet to respond to requests for a comment.

The giant building, seen as a blot on the landscape by many, has also raised eyebrows because only part of it is “camouflaged.”

But a spokesman for Swale council said: “The agreed drawings show the building as it is, with partial green and partial grey/white.

"The grey section has a chilled and frozen area behind it so it has to be light to reflect heat to help with cooling. The green section is ambient storage so heat is less of an issue.”

Dark green blends with the land and lighter green fades into the sky - as Morrisons did with its distribution depot at Kemsley using blue shades.

A “substantial” landscaping scheme has been agreed with large trees to be planted around the Aldi site and at the boundary with Brielle Way.

The spokesman admitted: “We have had a call from a resident about the colour scheme but as it is being built as approved there is nothing we can do. We did send consultation letters to residents at the time of the application but didn’t receive any responses.”

The working party included Jackie Constable, Sue Simpson, Ted Pye, Zoe Swarbrick, Paul Wigglesworth, Swale councillor Richard Darby and Mike Whiting representing Gordon Henderson.