Community shocked as famous fish and chip shop closes without warning

Residents of a Gwent town have been shocked by the sudden closure of a takeaway restaurant this week.

The much-loved Mr Chippy fish and chip shop in Cwmbran Centre has closed its doors with immediate effect, without any warning given to customers or staff.

Although no official announcement has been made on the takeaway’s social media page, numerous Cwmbran Facebook groups have reported the sudden closure, apparently confirmed by comments from people who were once staff.

Not much is currently known about how or why the closure of Mr Chippy happened or why it happened so suddenly, but many residents were shocked by the news, especially as they regularly came in for a lunchtime treat or visited during the day whilst shopping at the M Cwmbran Centre.

After serving the community for many years, this came as a major shock to customers and staff, and many Facebook users were dismayed and surprised by the news.

Customers have made comments such as “the best fish and chips in town” and said the news was “so terrible”, while others have also wondered what will happen to a fish and chip shop in Cwmbran now.

Some have also raised concerns about “the large number of stores coming and going” in the current financial climate.

One person even mentioned that Mr Chippy had only recently started opening over the weekend, suggesting that the closure was apparently unplanned, which people also implied given the immediate nature of the closure.

The sudden closure also resulted in the immediate loss of dozens of jobs and left people desperate for new positions, despite having been at Mr Chippy for years.

Many people on social media have expressed their sadness for those who will have lost their jobs due to the shutdown.

According to Facebook, there has been speculation that the shutdown may be motivated by financial reasons, but no official confirmation has been made.

The closure came as a shock as Mr Chippy was reportedly “always busy” from its prime location at 4 General Rees Square in the M Cwmbran Centre, and had been dubbed one of the shopping centre’s “most popular” food outlets.

It had a number of high-profile neighbours including TSB Bank and Primark, but its closure comes just months after the sudden closure of pan-Asian noodle bar Chopstix at the M Cwmbran Centre.

The South Wales Argus has contacted the M Cwmbran Centre and Mr Chippy for comment.