The owner of a Highland fish and chip shop that celebrated the death of the Queen on social media has handed over the business to new bosses.
It has re-opened under new management – but with the same name and sign. Hours after the death of the Queen was announced on September 8, a video of a staff member popping a champagne cork was posted on the Jaki’s Fish and Chip Shop Facebook page.
In the video, the worker held up a chalkboard outside the shop in Muir of Ord, Easter Ross, that read “Lizard Liz Dead" - a reference to bizarre conspiracy theories about the Royals - and "London Bridge has fallen”. It was widely condemned online.
The chippie was forced to close that evening after being surrounded by a crowd of angry local residents. Owner Jaki Pickett later said then she had “no regrets” about the video.
The takeaway’s window was smashed when it re-opened and it had been closed since September 10. But its doors were open on Friday night, with a sign outside saying it was now under new management.
It reads: “As of Friday October, 21 Jaki’s Chip Shop will be under new management. Please welcome Kerry who has now taken over.”
It's not the first time the chip shop has hit the headlines. Last year Pickett applied for permission to shine a giant Batman-style searchlight into the sky, visible 15 miles away, to alert customers to offers on their fish suppers.
The bid was refused by Highland Council, citing concerns over light pollution. A later appeal to the Scottish Government also fell because of what planning reporters called a "a significant potential risk to aviation safety" in the skies above Inverness Airport.
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