A Northumberland couple who have been told to stop operating a cake shop from their home are searching for new premises.
Andrew Sanderson and Kelly Sinclair run a takeaway cake shop, Kelly's Kakeaway, from their home in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea which has built up a loyal customer base who visit each week.
But the future of the business is in jeopardy after council bosses said they can no longer operate out of their house, forcing the couple to search for a new premises.
READ MORE: Four-year-old Evie still waiting for a new heart as she spends months at Freeman Hospital
Andrew, 37, said: "We are homebased at the moment but we have been reported off a few locals for the traffic we are causing.
"The council is requesting we put in full planning permission for people coming to the home but the man who is managing the planning application said there is like no hope of it getting passed.
"They are classing it as retail and because it is in a housing estate, even though we are open one day a week, they will probably reject it. We are going to be either forced to close or find a suitable premises somewhere."
The business started around 15 years ago when Kelly began making birthday cakes before branching out to make other types of cakes that people would collect from their home.
But the business became so successful Andrew said it became hard to sort out the orders.
He added: "During Covid we opened as a shop where you just turn up and buy on the side of our house.
"We bake all week and open up for a few hours on the Friday or Saturday and sell what we have baked. Kelly does floral cakes which she has won awards for."
Andrew said the business is their sole source of income and they hope to find a suitable shop in the near future.
He added: "We want to open one in Newbiggin ideally, but there is nothing available at the minute.
"We have been looking in the local area, like North Seaton. We have totally outgrown what we are doing at the minute and we know that."
By opening a new shop they hope it will allow them to open more days a week and supply more local business with their cakes. Kelly also plans to start running group classes and workshops in the longer term.
Andrew added: "We want to be open more days a week than just one, hopefully the full weekend on top of classes."
