20-02-2025
Telford cafe owners 'lost hundreds' after sign dispute
The owners of a cafe have said they lost more than £400 after the local council forced them to take down a and Debbie Johnson, who run Heath Hill Cafe, received a letter last week threatening them with a fine if they did not remove their sign, which is on a verge outside an industrial estate in couple have urged Telford and Wrekin Council to show "a bit of empathy" to small businesses during a cost-of-living crisis.A spokesperson for the authority said they were "reviewing the case and keen to work with the cafe to find a resolution."
Heath Hill Cafe - also known as Bostin Fittle - is based on an industrial estate in Dawley, and has been running for a decade, with Mr and Mrs Johnson operating it for the past four years. Its nickname Bostin Fittle is Black Country dialect for good business relies on passing trade, hoping hungry customers spot their sign, which is on a verge opposite Heath Hill roundabout. But on 10 February the couple were issued with a letter from Telford and Wrekin Council instructing them to remove the sign within 48 hours or face a fine.
Without the sign drawing customers in, 60-year-old Mrs Johnson estimated that the business had lost "four or five hundred pounds."She added that it had been on the verge "for the whole time it's been a cafe", but only remaining in place during opening hours between 07:30 and 14:00.
Fridays are normally the cafe's busiest day of the week, but Mrs Johnson said without the sign bringing in customers, she was "just stood there in tears.""It's our only income, it's all me and my husband have got - and we had no customers."
The couple have now been told they can put their sign back up while the council decides what to Johnson, who is 63, described the situation as going "past a joke.""The sign has been there for ten years - it's not a danger to the public, and it's not just become hazardous," he said."If there's a motorist on [the verge], then they've already caused havoc!"
Mrs Johnson said trying to ring the council to talk about the sign was nearly impossible - especially with their controversial digital customer service system, Ask Tom."It was just so frustrating," she said, adding that she was sent "backwards and forwards to [Ask] Tom.""I don't want to talk to Tom ever again!"
A spokesperson for Telford and Wrekin Council said: "We have been made aware of concerns raised following the removal of the sign."The authority added that its "primary focus is to always protect care and invest for all residents", and that it was "reviewing the case and keen to work with the cafe to find a resolution".But Mr Johnson said he believed the council needed to show more understanding for small businesses struggling through the cost-of-living questioned: "Why send a letter, and someone wearing a camera into our caff, when they could have just popped in [and explained] in the first place?""It's just pathetic really, because [the sign] has been there so long, it ain't a problem."
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