Award-winning fish and chip shop is ordered to remove Union flag mural by council officials ‘because it’s inappropriate for the area’

An award-winning fish and chip shop has been ordered to remove a Union Flag mural by council officials over claims it is “inappropriate for the area”.

Chris Kanizi, 65, who owns the Golden Chippy in Greenwich, south-east London, has been asked to paint over the mural of the humanoid fish, which is adored by tourists.

Greenwich Council said it received a ‘number of complaints’ about the mural, which features the phrase ‘A Great British Meal’, which it said was an ‘unauthorised advertisement’.

Sir. Kansizi, who has run the Golden Chip for 20 years and lives two doors down, said he doesn’t believe people complained about the mural, which was deemed “inappropriate” according to Telegraph.

The 65-year-old previously had a battle with the council over a 17ft sign above the door of his restaurant, which was voted London’s best-rated restaurant on TripAdvisor in 2016.

Chris Kanizi, 65, keeps fish in his award-winning restaurant in south-east London

The Golden Chippy was voted London’s best restaurant by TripAdvisor in 2016

The Golden Chippy was voted London’s best restaurant in 2016 by TripAdvisor

He said: ‘It’s just something to make people smile. But the council said “this is a conservation area – you can’t have that and you have to paint over it”.

“They also said that people had complained, but I don’t believe that. Everyone who has spoken to me says they love it’.

The Cypriot-born chip shop owner, who came to the UK in 1977, previously had a two-year battle with the council over a similar 17ft sign, which he hung above the door in 2016.

Sir. Kansizi eventually took the sign down despite starting a petition to keep the sign which gathered 3,000 signatures.

And the fish and chip expert has vowed to keep the £250 mural up for as long as possible.

Chris Kanizi has served locals and tourists for 20 years in his fish shop

Kanizi in front of the 2016 sign that landed him in a two-year battle with Greenwich Council

He said: ‘I will stick it out as long as I can. They haven’t given me a date to paint over it yet, but they will.’

‘I have so many international customers. They all like to take a picture with the mural in the background.’

A spokesman for Greenwich Council said: ‘Following a number of complaints to local parish councillors, an enforcement action was taken in relation to the mural in question.

‘Our planning enforcement team are investigating this as it is effectively an unauthorized advertisement for the chip shop. The owner has agreed to paint over it.

“We will always try to negotiate with the owner before proceeding with formal planning enforcement.”