Cafe owner has ‘salt rubbed in his wounds’ by States Works
LESS than 24 hours after the Halfway Cafe closed for good, the owner said he had ‘salt rubbed in his wounds’ when two States Works vehicles parked in his car park for the crew to eat their packed lunches.
Richard Crook blamed regular roadworks around the Halfway for reduced takings at his cafe, leading him to close it for good on 4 October.
When he arrived back at the cafe the next day to start clearing out the premises, he heard large vehicles entering his car park.
‘Two States Works vehicles turned and then parked up,’ he said.
‘More States Works staff then walked into the car park and unloaded their equipment into the rear of the vehicles. One worker climbed out of one of the vans and walked over to a puddle in the car park and began to clean the mud off his boots.’
When Mr Crook approached them to ask what they were doing. He said they replied that they were working along the front and it was their lunch break.
‘As the cafe was now closed the car park was empty, they would be stopping here to park as they had nowhere else to park and eat their packed lunch,’ Mr Crook said.
‘I pointed to the terre a l’amende sign in full view, but with just a shrug the States worker returned to one of the States Works vehicles and for the next hour they stayed and ate their packed lunches.’
Mr Crook still has four months left on his lease and is still paying £2,500 a month rent for the cafe and car park.
‘I decided not to argue with them, as my health has now severely suffered with the events over these past three years and I’m under medical supervision,’ he said.
‘I just feel like this is taking the mick, I’ve had to close because of actions from the States that have considerably affected my business, and now it just seems they are taking advantage of my misfortune.’
. States Works was contacted and declined to comment.
