Since the closure of Teddington Fish Bar due to a fire that erupted in the venue, the owner, John Charalambous, has faced several obstacles set by the landlord in the pursuit of reopening the beloved chippy.

Charalambous said: "The Landlord of the shop has illegally taken control of it.

He entered the shop at 12:30 am and changed the locks with no prior warning. He is acting on the basis that I owe three weeks' rent, within a period of late May and early June."

Charalambous claims he does not owe rent for this period, as he hadn't yet received the keys and wasn't trading in that time.

"The landlord has simply printed the notices he posted from the internet to the door, and they are not a direct order from bailiffs," said Laura Cole, a Teddington local who helped raise money for Charalambous to reopen the fish and chip shop.

Credit: John Charalambous

"The landlord has thrown hurdles at John," she said.

Charalambous is aware that the shop is in a bad state and has offered to go in to clean it, as he "is aware there is stock that is rotting, and it is smelling badly".

Cole said: "John cares about the shop and community, so is heartbroken at the state of it now."

Charalambous said that the landlord has said he would have to pay per hour to have a bailiff present if he goes in to clean the shop.

The landlord is refusing to communicate with Charalambous saying he is away.

Autoreplies saying he is "out of office" are being sent to Charalambous' solicitors when they try to contact him.

Charalambous is in contact with Solicitors and local councillors, who "are also dumbfounded by this treatment," said Cole.

She said: "John is devastated; he was so grateful for the support he received and was over the moon at trading again, experiencing the busiest times he has ever had.

"Once again, John has lost money in ruined stock and is now, once again having to find money for legal fees. He just wants his shop back, and his mental health has been hugely affected ."

Charalambous wants to make his punters aware that he is doing "his absolute best at sorting this situation and has done absolutely nothing wrong".

Cole said: "Please bear with him [Charalambous] and remember to be kind with your comments while he tries to sort this out."

 Charalambous has approached the situation through legal processes and has secured an injunction against the landlord at court, which was served to the landlord in person yesterday, August 21.

An injunction was served to the landlord of Teddington Fish Bar (Credit:John Charalambous)

 Cole said: "This is an ongoing battle, and John will keep the community up to date as best as possible."