Burnley restaurant bosses strip venue bare in rent row (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Burnley restaurant bosses strip venue bare in rent row

9:20am Friday 19th February 2010 in

By Jon Livesey » Reporter

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POLICE were called after the outgoing tenants at an Indian restaurant stripped the venue of contents worth £100,000.

Abdul Muhith, the manager of the Ridoy restaurant and bar, Red Lees Road, Cliviger, said he had ‘done it Robin Hood style’.

He admitted stripping out items including fixtures, fittings, plug sockets, sinks, toilets, flooring and electrical appliances from the former Fighting Cocks pub at Mereclough.

Mr Muhith said he had bought the items at a cost of £100,000 and that his solicitor had said he was within his rights to take them.

Enterprise Inns, which owns the building, called police to the venue at 5pm on Wednesday.

Mr Muhith said a removal van was taking some of the items away at the time.

Police said on arrival they found the two parties engaged in a dispute.

But, after making inquiries, a spokesman said they were told it was a civil matter. No arrests were made.

Mr Muhith claimed a proposed rent increase was behind the decision to leave.

He claimed he paid £32,000 to Enterprise Inns for the existing fixtures and fittings in 2007.

But he said he removed them after taking control of the restaurant and put them in an upstairs room at the restaurant where he said they now remained.

According to Mr Muhith, a sum of around £100,000 was then invested to kit out the restaurant.

He said: “For two years I was telling them that we were struggling and that we needed help.

“Then when there was an increase in business they told us they were going to increase the rent from April.

“I told them it was hard enough to pay as it was and that I would have to shut if it increased. It was the last straw.

“I couldn’t afford to live like that. It was too much pressure.

“I took legal advice and my solicitor told me to take the stuff that I put in and leave it as I found it.

“We’ve done it Robin Hood style and taken it back.”

A customer said staff from the restaurant removed items including, sinks, toilets, light fittings, switches and plug sockets.

Every stainless steel item in the kitchen, including ‘splash-back’ panels and worktops, were ripped out.

Appliances such as dishwashers, fridges and ovens were also removed, he said.

Fire places, tables, chairs, fixed seating and carpets were removed from the restaurant and bar areas.

And decorative features which adorned the walls of the restaurant were also taken.

The customer said the building was now a ‘shell’ with wires hanging from the ceiling and just planks of wood to walk across.

Peter Smith, who lives next door to the restaurant, said Mr Muhith and his colleagues had been ‘good neighbours'.

Cliviger Coun David Heginbotham is urging Burnley Council to buy the building and raze it to the ground.

He said: “It’s a massive old building which isn’t in keeping with the area.

"They could put a couple of nice houses there.”

Enterprise Inns was asked for a detailed comment yesterday morning.

But by 5.30pm the firm said it was unable to provide a statement as no-one was available until today.

Comments(17)

Burnley Boy says...
12:10pm Fri 19 Feb 10

This restaurant was an excellent dining place, i have been to it on numerous occassions, its a shame that they could not stay open. Typical big business they always want more.

I guess another few people would have lost their jobs, why is the local and national governments not helping out small businesses? Its ok to bail out banks, but what about SME businesses, they are the lifeblood of this town.

So our great politicians are saying that this should be brought and demolished. How does that make sense? what about those people who lost their livelyhood? shall we do this to all businesses that are shut or go bust? From the recent decisions that are being made by Burnley Council, it seems to me that they are lacking leadership and vision. Moreover, they are wasting funding which as come into this town to help with the housing problem, this is sheer negligence and wasted opportunity to get things right in our town. Its easy to blame Brown and his government, but what are the local leaders doing with the money they are recieving! Shame on all of you in the Town Hall, maybe you could raze that to the ground, as its not serving its purpose.