A former fish and chip shop owner has blamed the construction of a cycle path for his takeaway closure, claiming it has hit his business turnover by 40 per cent. However, at a time when he claimed locals would “just avoid it like the plague” because of the roadworks, the council pointed out that the cycleway phase of the project was completed last year, while others suggested they preferred alternative chippies and multiple negatives Online reviews may also be a factor – one reviewer called the meal “probably the worst fish and chips I’ve ever had”.
Ferndown Fish & Chips on Wimborne Road East was bought by Tony Doyle in May 2022, the owner told the Daily Echo he had enjoyed 11 months of good business but saw his sales drop by 40 per cent once construction began on a nearby cycle path.
The infrastructure on Wimborne Road East, described by the Daily Mail as “Britain’s biggest cycle path”, has been featured on road.cc before, only this week some local residents opposed to the scheme were accused of “spreading misinformation” after taking to social media unfounded rumors appeared on the networks. media claims that a number of trees will be felled during the future phase of construction, the council described these claims as “factually incorrect and negative”.
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And in response to the latest comments from the owner of Ferndown Fish & Chips, Dorset Council clarified that the roadworks in question “ended in November last year” and “at no time was the road fully closed except for three consecutive weekly periods for overnight works starting at 8pm :00, with only one lane closed, traffic management at all times, and multiple routes available for customers to access the premises”.
Despite this, Mr Doyle, who said he was looking forward to “happy days and a leisurely pace of life” at the shop, says he was left in debt “due to VAT and electrics” and “couldn’t save until the end” because “the locals wouldn’t avoided like the plague”.
“I’ve had good customers and really nice people call me and say ‘Tony, we can’t come, it takes us 40 minutes to get home’,” he said. “I was making a profit and then [the] road works have started. Business revenue has decreased by 40 percent during this period.”
And while some locals sympathized with the owner’s business woes, others questioned some of his claims.
One comment on Facebook suggested that “most people go to Karsbergs [another fish and chip shop in Ferndown] how better.” “Consumers vote with their feet, if what you’re offering isn’t as good as a mile down the road, you’re not going to get the business,” wrote Craig Addison.
Another local pointed out the negative reviews the takeaway had received online. They said: “No need to blame cycle lanes when a quick look online reveals some terrible reviews of this place!”
Despite more positive reviews in previous years, customer feedback has been less complimentary over the past 12 months, with some giving one-star ratings and detailing their complaints.
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“Quite possibly the worst fish and chips I’ve ever had,” begins one from 10 months ago. “Really bad. Not freshly battered. Frozen fish cooked at too high a temperature…not recommended at all.”
Another said “sadly this chip shop is nowhere near” competitors in the area, with portions “so much smaller for the same money”.
A third review said the owner “was dismissive and rude” during a dispute over a canceled order, while another more recent review called it “absolutely awful.”
It said: “We thought we’d try this as our usual was closed for some reason. The fish and chips here were loaded with grease. The mushy peas were inedible. The fish wasn’t cooked properly so my fiance refused to eat any of it if it it wasn’t like we bought it to go, we’d be asking for a refund.”
Earlier this week we reported that Dorset Council had slammed anti-cycling campaigners who criticized the active travel scheme, saying it did not represent “value for money”. The local authority responded to claims that a number of trees would be felled in a future part of the project, explaining that this was not the case and that the rumors were “in fact incorrect and negative”.
A spokesman for Dorset Council said: “We are not removing any trees as part of our current works on Wimborne Road”, addressing the unfounded rumours.
“We have carefully designed the scheme to retain the existing trees at Clayford Avenue and the Pure Drop Pub. In fact we will be adding another tree near the Stanfield Road junction. We have worked with our environmentalists in planning our Narrows to ensure environmental impact is minimized at all stages construction.”