After announcing his highly anticipated takeaway in St Austell, Mr Tee King of Desserts has confirmed he will not open the new branch after all.
Mr Tee said he had everything set and ready to open a permanent shop in St Austell, after years spent driving across the Tamar in his vibrant van with richly-topped ice creams, and "everything was rosey" for opening. But he then told viewers in a social media video that he has been forced to cancel the lease because of an unhappy neighbour.
"I don't want to say too much," Mr Tee, whose real name is Tee Smith, said. "But there was somebody who's not quite so happy in regards to me opening this takeaway.
"To cut a long story short, I've had to cancel that lease. I've had to cancel that lease in that location."
This would have been the first of Mr Tee's businesses to open in the South West, with his other ventures all located within 90 minutes of his native Wrexham. He added that he has been reimbursed the costs paid so far, so he wasn't left out of pocket, but said he had been "really looking forward" to opening the latest branch.
"I've had to put it on hold for the time being. I actually had a house rented, I had this, I had that, I had everything sorted. But because of the shenanigans that took place yesterday, I've had to cancel what my plans were. I'm very very sorry for any upset, or for any disturbance, or anyone who was looking forward to it.
"Everything was hunky-dory, I was really really looking forward to it. I was proper excited, I has so many plans and so many wishes and so many dreams. But everything's been put on hold."
Mr Tee confirmed he is still planning to open a site in St Austell but clarified it won't be in the same location. "Unfortunately there was somebody else nearby to me, where I was there, that really wasn't happy. With the landlord being the same, mine and theirs – I don't want to say too much more. It caused a clash of interests."
Speaking from his Shrewsbury location, Mr Tee said he is on the lookout for a new potential site in the town and asked locals to share their ideas for businesses looking to sell up or close down.
Mr Tee Cancels St Austell Dessert Shop Plans