Baffled shoppers say they have nowhere to leave their trolleys after every bay was removed from a Tesco car park.

Contractors finished resurfacing works at the chain’s Tenterden supermarket earlier this month – much to the delight of residents who had long called for improvements.

But when the car park reopened, four damaged trolley bays had been removed and not replaced, leaving customers scratching their heads.

Tesco says the current set-up is temporary and new shelters will be installed soon – but shopper Max Dunstone says bosses need to act quickly to resolve the issue.

"Trolleys are being abandoned everywhere at the moment," the St Michaels resident told KentOnline.

"The surface was bad and it needed resurfacing, but they used to have a bay for parking trolleys in each row.

"Now they've been taken away, the trolleys are just being dumped anywhere."

An electric car charging point has become a temporary trolley bay this week, with many shoppers not using the last remaining storage point by the store entrance.

Tony Baptiste, who has lived in Tenterden for 16 years, says the change has caused more problems for Tesco’s staff.

"I think it’s more of an issue for the person who collects the trolleys because they have to go looking around everywhere," he said.

"They are now planted everywhere because people are leaving them in different places."

Despite the criticism, shopper William Burnley says he is a fan of the new layout at the Smallhythe Road site.

“Being an older person, I think it’s done Tesco a world of good because the car park’s now flatter and my mobility can be an issue at times, so it does make life easier,” he said.

Nurse Paul Yates, 56, agreed, saying: “The layout is pretty much the same as before just without the trolley bays.

“It’s OK, it’s practical, and I don’t think the spaces are narrower than they were before.”

In Ashford, trolley bays remain in place at the Park Farm and Crooksfoot Tesco stores.

A company spokesman said the new bays in Tenterden will be installed in the coming days.