Kings Fish Bar in Shirley handed eviction notice by council

The Kings Fish Bar on Shirley Road has been serving customers in the Shirley area for many years but now it looks as the shop could see its last days as a chip shop numbered after a Southampton City Council eviction notice was stuck to the window outside. 

This came as a 'huge shock' to customers - as a sign reading 'At a hospital appointment. I'll be back soon as possible. Thank you' had already been left outside for a number of weeks. 

The notice inside the chip shop (Image: NQ) The eviction notice reads: "The court has issued a warrant or writ for the possession of the above property (land) at the request of the claimant. A warrant gives a county court bailiff the authority to evict you and hand over possession to the claimant. 

"A writ gives a High Court Enforcement Officer the authority to evict you and hand over possession to the claimant. In this notice the term 'Authorised Person' is used to refer to either the Bailiff or the High Court Enforcement Officer. 

"This notice tells you the time and date when the eviction will take place, what will happen on that date, and what you can do."

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Post is currently stacked on the floor of the business, suggesting nobody has entered the shop for some weeks. 

One customer who has lived in Shirley for more than 40-years added: "I would normally come to The Kings Fish Bar on Friday and thought the food was very good. 

"It is much cheaper than some of the other chip shops in the area. They were often quite busy as well so I cant see a reason why the owner would need to close the shop."

A fire broke out at the chippy back in December of 2023 and a customer waiting for a haircut in the nearby Smart Barbers rushed in with a fire extinguisher and managed to save the Fish Bar from burning to the ground.  

In October 2022, a man in his 40s was stabbed by two men outside the fish and chip shop.