My coffee shop in the beauty salon is no longer profitable – thanks to travelers who opened their illegal site on the street

A coffee shop in a beautiful location turned in ‘£0 a day’ after travelers set up camp outside.

Jonathan Hill, who runs his coffee club Wilson + Bay at Christchurch Lookout in Newport, Gwent, saw the car park surrounded by an illegal hiker camp.

Jonathan told how customers have stopped coming to the store because they can’t access it without going through the makeshift caravan site.

But he urged people not to be afraid and to carry on with his business as usual.

“If you continue to buy lattes, it sends a strong message to new residents in the area,” he said.

“This area is for the people of St Julian’s, it’s a public area and we need to disrupt that flow, which probably won’t go away today.

“I cannot answer how long this situation will last.

“We’re going to hang on as long as we can, but we’ve had to change our hours while making little to no money.”

In an attempt to keep the business afloat and repair some of the damage done to the viewpoint, Jonathan launched a fundraising page.

“Many of our regular customers have asked me to set up a donation page as many currently want to visit our Christchurch Viewpoint store to support it but don’t really want to due to the current camp on site. This is something we fully understand,” he said.

“We are currently unsure how long the current situation may continue.”

“Our main focus right now is to stay open, take care of our team and be able to afford enough to support enough staff and maintain their hours.

“We remain committed to presenting a united front, but trading conditions remain challenging.

“In the background we are doing everything we can to support our team. Ensuring we don’t have to work alone, training, guidance on how to solve the problems we face on a daily basis.

“My team has shown great resilience and is trying to be respectful and patient even in this situation.”

Local walkers, identified only as Gareth and Sharon, said daily trips to the cafe were “essential” for them.

Sharon said: “It’s such a shame for the business; here’s to Jonathan and his staff who are good as gold.

“We both like to come here for coffee in the morning, it distracts us. The way they’ve taken over this place is appalling, frankly it’s such a shame.”

Newport City Council said: “We are currently working with Gwent Police and other partners and taking all necessary steps in accordance with the legal process.

“We recognize the impact on local businesses and the community and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”