A war has been waged against illegal car washes which are operating in Wolverhampton without permission.

The land owner of a car wash business in Birmingham New Road, All Saints, said he would be shutting within days after being refused planning permission despite running for two months. And city council bosses revealed investigations were ongoing into four more across the city. The business in All Saints , which is based on land next to The Builders Arms in Derry Street, is the latest to face closure in the clampdown.

It comes just a month after a firm in Penn Road was ordered to shut after two years of operating illegally.

It was opened by Afghanistani immigrants without them realising permission was needed.

A retrospective application was submitted but planning officers refused to grant the permission saying it was detrimental to the street scene and harmful to residents and motorists.

The site owner, who refused to be named, said: “It’s not a big deal. We will be closing down this week and we hope to open a car lot here.”

There has been a boom in hand car washes in the West Midlands in recent years.

Some are operating within the legal constraints but many owners do not realise that planning permission is needed to change the use of the land.

A city council spokeswoman said a number of car washes were currently being investigated.

She said: “Most of these complaints are resolved by enforcement officers through negotiation without resorting to formal enforcement action.”

Bosses are currently waiting on an inspector’s decision about whether a car wash in Waterloo Road can continue, after owners appealed against closure, and permission has been granted to prosecute the owners of a business in Cannock Road, Park Village.

A planning contravention notice has been served following two investigations at a car wash in Lea Road, Penn Fields, and a new complaint has been received about a business in Fordhouse Road, Fordhouses.