North Northamptonshire Council is demanding £5,000 in legal fees from residents following a case arising from its own planning error.

The council failed to consult people living close to the proposed site of a Corby warehouse in 2021, which was then built metres away from gardens.

The town’s MP, Lee Barron, told MPs that a consultation was carried out in the wrong street and the residents who took the council to court were being pursued for the costs after their case was dismissed.

The Leader of the House called the case “troubling” and the council’s leader said it was the judge who decided the party who brought the case should pay the fees.

The first time residents realised a giant warehouse was being built next to their homes on Hooke Close was when a 60ft (18.3m) metal frame appeared at the site.

Residents complained to the council and it transpired that the people of Hubble Close, about half a mile (750m) from the site, had been sent notices about the development instead of those on Hooke Close.