Catering firm shuts after JCB decision wipes out its trade

OWNERS of a Uttoxeter catering business say it has been forced to shut after JCB ‘privatised’ its pitch and brought in its own food firm to feed workers.

- By JONATHAN SUTTON

Heidi's Kitchen operates a shop on Bradley Street, but also runs a mobile catering van, which accounts for the majority of its revenue.

Following requests from JCB workers a number of years ago, the van now visits three JCB sites in Rocester, and has done so for the past eight years.

But since February 27 the company, which made two stops a day outside JCB World Headquarters on Old Denstone Road, is no longer be able to access the road.

In September, JCB applied under Section 116 of the Highways Act 1980 to stop up the public highway, arguing it was “unnecessary”.

Heidi Harris, owner of Heidi's Kitchen said: “We've got this catering van that runs around different sites, there are quite a few JCB sites that I go to in the afternoon.

“I got collared last Tuesday by two security guards before I got to my stop and they just said ‘we've adopted this road, it's now a private road and you won't be able to serve JCB workers anymore as of next week; so they basically gave me a week’s notice.