BOSSES at a Darwen restaurant face a bill of thousands of pounds to take down their sign at the insistence of the borough council.

The owners of the Amalfi Lounge and Godfather takeaway in Duckworth Street opened Papa’s American Diner, in the property next door in February.

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But the restaurant, which was officially opened by US hip hop star Fatman Scoop, was told it doesn’t have the appropriate planning permission for the new frontage in the Darwen Town Centre’s official Conservation Area.

Brothers Keyvan and Shaz Fani launched a petition and submitted new backdated plans in a bid to keep the sign.

Now Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has issued enforcement proceeding ordering them to remove it.

Keyvan said they now face paying thousands of pounds to remove and replace the sign, which would delay their plans to open a new restaurant in the former HSBC bank in The Circus later this year.

Borough planning boss and Sunnyhurst ward councillor Dave Smith said: “They did not put of up what they asked for in the planning application which we approved in December.”

Keyvan added: “ This action by the council is not helpful but we shall be talking to Cllr Smith to try and find the best way forward .”

Cllr Smith said: “The borough planning department is taking enforcement action.

“The problem is that the council approved a planning application and they did something different.

“If they wanted to do this they should have put in a different plan .”

The Godfather takeaway opened in 1990 and, five years ago, the Amalfi Lounge opened next door.

Having taken over the former AutioTece, the family owns three neighbouring properties with the Amalfi Lounge cocktail bar on the left and the Amalfi restaurant spanning across the top floor of all three buildings.