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'We lost hundreds when council forced sign to go'

Ellen Knight
BBC Radio Shropshire
BBC Debbie and John photographed with the sign for their cafe. Debbie is wearing a grey winter coat with a dark red and black fleece, and John is wearing a black coat with a black apron underneath. The flexible banner is on a grassy verge, and is white with black writing, reading "Heath Hill Cafe - Open" in large letters with three black arrows underneath. BBC
Debbie and John Johnson have run Heath Hill Cafe for four years

The owners of a cafe have said they lost more than £400 after the local council forced them to take down a sign.

John 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 Telford.

The 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 food.

The 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.

A small building clad in white corrugated iron with a black roof. It has a large sign on the front reading "Heath Hill Cafe" in black lettering. There are two large windows on the front where you can just see into the cafe, with chairs, tables, and a kitchen. On the left, there is a door with a neon sign reading 'Open.'
The site has been a café for the best part of a decade, the couple said

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."

A picture of a small blackboard hanging on a white wall. In red and yellow letters at the top it reads "Bostin Fittle". Underneath, in blue letters, it says "Bostin burger, bacon, egg, hash brown, cheese", with the price written in pink letters - £6.60. Below, in yellow letters, it says "gammon steak, chips, egg/pineapple, peas/beans", and the price again in pink letters - £6.95.
The cafe's alternative name, Bostin Fittle, is a Black Country dialect phrase meaning 'good food'

The couple have now been told they can put their sign back up while the council decides what to do.

Mr 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!"

Picture of the back of the sign on a grassy verge with pavement running alongside. The sign is white, and held up by two wooden poles. Part of the roundabout is visible, with three cars in the distance. There are trees and shrubbery along the edges of the grassy areas.
The sign sits on a verge just off the Heath Hill roundabout in Dawley, Telford

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 crisis.

He 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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