Northampton bakery troubled by nearby cannabis farm find appears to have CLOSED down forever after being slapped with eviction notice
A cannabis farm was discovered above the property in 2021...now cafe seems to have permanently closed
A once popular café in Northampton troubled by the impact of an illegal cannabis farm being discovered upstairs appears to have closed down for good after landlords evicted them from the property.
Frankie's Bakes, in Harborough Road, Kingsthorpe has been given a legal notice by its landlords.
The notice, served on January 25, says the landlords have retaken possession of the property and the lease stands to be forfeited.
"The locks have been changed and any attempt by any person to re-enter the premises...shall be committing both a criminal and civil offence," it reads.
The café first opened its doors in June 2021 by owners Shaun and Harriet Gallagher, who set up the café as a tribute to their baby, Frankie, who sadly passed away in 2019.
The café was forced to close down temporarily after police discovered an illegal cannabis farm in a flat above the site on July 5.
Shaun made the shocking discovery when he noticed water leaking into the cafe's kitchen from the ceiling. He went upstairs to investigate and, after forcing his way through the door of the privately rented flat, found a cannabis grow containing 45 infant plants in the front bedroom.
He called the police immediately and officers declared the café a crime scene and it had to close as the force dismantled the grow.
The bakery owners said at the time they may need to close down for good after they lost a lot of money through wasted stock and had to make expensive repairs. At the time, they told the Chron: “We have had to cease trading at a huge loss with no compensation and it had broken our hearts."
Although it reopened for a period, the site closed down once again and has never reopened.
The legal notice has been posted on the shop's front door.
Frankie’s Bakes boss Shaun said there were disputes between himself and the landlords over building insurance in 2021 that were never resolved, which led him to vacate the premises.
He added that although the shop is closed, the Frankie’s Bakes brand is still going.