After breaking council rules a café has been ordered to remove free food for struggling families from outside its premises. The Green House Food Club and Tea Room in Biddulph, gives customers the chance to pick up 10 items of food, toiletries and household essentials for just £5.
The High Street tea room and social supermarket had also been leaving free surplus food donated by Sainsbury's and Morrisons outside until a visit from the council put it to a stop.
Operator Amanda Beech said: “We set up the food club to help people struggling for food through Covid and now obviously with the cost of living we are needed even more. It makes me really sad because a lot of people rely on that food, Stoke on Trent Live reports.
“We can put it inside the shop but that means that people have to come into the shop in front of other people and that might make them feel uncomfortable and we didn’t want that. We just wanted people to be able to walk past and just pick up and go so nobody noticed them because there is a lot of stigma around this subject. So it is a shame that somebody has taken that away from people.”
Following a visit from Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Amanda has had to remove the free food. A council spokesperson said: "Staffordshire Moorlands District Council contacted The Green Tree House Café in response to a complaint received from Staffordshire County Council relating to tables and chairs being left out on the pavement.
"Staffordshire Moorlands District Council advised the café that they would need to apply for a pavement licence for the furniture. At no time did Staffordshire Moorlands District Council advise the café that they had to stop giving donations.”
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