'Smelly' bacon butties off menu

The owner says he has been selling bacon butties for months

A sandwich shop has been banned from selling bacon butties after a vegetarian complained about the smell.

Steven Male has been frying bacon at his shop, Sizzlers Sandwich Bar, since it opened in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, eight months ago.

Neighbour Antony Goodwin complained to Tameside Council, saying the smell had driven him out of his home.

Tameside Council said the shop owner had not applied for planning permission to serve hot food.

Mr Male, 47, said he and his wife bought the property for £52,000 and have already spent £80,000 on renovations.

I could understand it if we had some enormous griddle making hundreds of bacon sandwiches a day Shop owner Steven Male

He said Mr Goodwin never told them he had a problem with the smell of bacon frying.

"The first we knew about it was when someone from the environmental health department told us a neighbour had complained about cooking smells," he said.

"I could understand it if we had some enormous griddle making hundreds of bacon sandwiches a day, but we're not and there's hardly any smell at all."

A spokesperson for Tameside Council said: "An enforcement notice was issued because the premises had changed from a retail shop to a hot food takeaway.

"This change requires planning permission which the owners didn't have.

No permission

"The notice was served on the owners on 24 January 2005 (to become effective on 25 March 2005), which states they are to stop selling hot food from the premises. As no appeal was made against this notice, it is now in effect.

"If the owners do not comply with the notice, it will be considered a criminal offence and a prosecution could take place."

Mr Male claims council inspectors told him the license was not needed when he asked them before buying the property.

Mr Goodwin was not available for comment.