(TC) Gordon Ramsay’s £13,000,000 London pub taken over by squatters threatening legal action against chef

Gordon Ramsay has been left with his own kitchen nightmare after one of his London pubs was taken over by a gang of squatters.

The York & Albany pub, which also functions as a boutique hotel, near Regent’s Park is understood to have been temporarily closed while Ramsay, 57, signed over a multi-million-pound lease to new partners.

The property, a John Nash building dating back to 1826, is currently on the market with a guide price of £13million and the lease agreement in place with Ramsay explained.

However, during its closure, a group of ‘six professional squatters’ have managed to gain access to the building, in which they are now sleeping and living.

 

TV chef Ramsay, who owns and operates dozens of restaurants, is thought to have called the police on Wednesday but has been unable to have the squatters removed from the Grade II listed building.

In pictures snapped of the inside, the interior of the bar area is shown to be scattered with debris including plugs, water bottles, a beer can, used cups and a pair of crutches leaning against the wall.

Ramsay has operated the York & Albany pub since 2008 (Picture: Fox via Getty)

The premises was closed as the chef negotiated new lease partners with the building on the market, and the squatters took their chance (Picture: Getty)

Squatters take over Gordon Ramsay’s shuttered Regent’s Park pub

Other photographs obtained by The Sun show a barefoot squatter lying across a leather sofa sleeping in the bar, while another man was snapped dressed in a robe and flipflops on the ground of the property, scrolling on his smartphone.

The group has even placed a sign on the door threatening legal action against anyone who tries to force them out, claiming that they are entitled to stay there as it ‘is a non-residential building’.

According to the publication, the squatters have secured their hold on the building by gluing the locks shut and using kitchen appliances to barricade themselves inside.

They also warn that ‘at all times there is at least one person in occupation’ at the pub on their notice, confirming that they will prosecute anyone attempting to enter ‘by violence or by threatening violence’.

Inside the pub now appears cluttered with debris after the group moved in (Picture: n.c)

The interior of the pub previously

Another picture shows the kitchen taken over inside the pub (Picture: n.c)
Describing the situation as ‘an absolute nightmare scenario’ for Ramsay, a source revealed: ‘The pub was temporarily closed whilst he was finalising a new lease, and during this handover period a gang of professional squatters somehow bypassed all the security and CCTV, and got themselves in.

‘They’ve now boarded themselves in the building and are slowly taking over the place, leaving their c**p everywhere and brazenly telling locals this is now their home.’

They added: ‘Some are crashing on sofas, but others have taken over the beautiful bedrooms. God knows the damage and filth.’

The TV star is struggling to secure an eviction notice, the insider explained, and described the famously fiery chef as ‘at the end of his tether’.