One of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants has been taken over by a group of squatters who are threatening legal action against trespassers.
At least one person was photographed inside the York & Albany pub and boutique hotel near Regent’s Park with kitchen appliances having been used to barricade entryways.
The £13 million Grade II listed pub has been temporarily closed while the television chef is looking to sign a multi-million-pound lease to new partners.
A source told The Sun: “It’s an absolute nightmare scenario for poor Gordon. The pub was temporarily closed while he was finalising a new lease, and during this handover period a gang of professional squatters somehow bypassed all the security and CCTV, and got themselves in.
“They’ve now boarded themselves in the building and are slowly taking over the place, leaving their crap everywhere and brazenly telling locals this is now their home. They’ve glued tight all the locks and are cooking up a storm in the kitchen, which is especially galling for Gordon.”
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The source added that there were at least five men and one woman in the building, with one picture showing a man sleeping on a sofa inside the former pub. Ramsay is said to have informed the Met Police on Wednesday but the force said that squatters are a civil matter and it did not attend.
The Met confirmed to The Sun: “Police were made aware of squatters at a disused property in Parkway, Regent’s Park, NW1 on Wednesday, April 10.”
A legal notice signed by “The Occupiers” has been posted on the front door warning that entering the premises without permission constituted a criminal offence. It reads: “Take notice that we occupy this property and at all times there is at least one person in occupation.
“That any entry or attempt to enter into these premises without our permission is therefore a criminal offence as any one of us who is in physical possession is opposed to such entry without our permission. That if you attempt to enter by violence or by threatening violence we will prosecute you. You may receive a sentence of up to six months’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to £5,000.”
Ramsay leased the property from Gary Love, the director and actor, on a 25-year-term but in 2015 was embroiled in an unsuccessful legal battle to end the lease.
