Five huge telecoms boxes are blocking the view to my Caribbean restaurant in London - I've had a heart attack from the stress and now I may have to close

A devastated grandmother fears she may have to close her Caribbean restaurant after learning that five large telecom boxes blocking its view will not be removed.

Debbie Monfries, 64, claimed the 6ft tall boxes have 'ruined' passing trade at Umana Yana in Herne Hill, south London , as potential customers can't see the restaurant.

The boxes were installed in 2012 and immediately impacted her revenue, Mrs Monfries said.

The grandmother-of-six then started complaining to Southwark Council, hoping they could be removed, and over the years has received significant support - including from famous faces such as rapper Central Cee.

But last week, after 12 years of wrangling, Mrs Monfries was finally told the boxes would be staying - leaving her fearing for the future of her beloved restaurant.

Debbie Monfries, from Croydon, said her health has suffered because of the stress - leading to her suffering a heart attack in 2020.

She is now appealing to her local MP to try and reverse the decision - or she fears she will have to close.

Southwark Council said they had been trying to facilitate a resolution for 'a number of years' - but claimed that under government rules, telecom companies can install their boxes without planning permission from councils.

Mrs Monfries said: 'Before the boxes were installed, our annual revenue was between £70,000 and £80,000. After they were put there, it dropped to around £30,000.

'This was almost immediate. There was a clear link.

'The boxes block the restaurant from view. We used to depend on passing trade, but now, no potential customers can see the restaurant.

'We've never been able to recover from it. It's been so stressful.'

Mrs Monfries said the stress of the situation became almost unmanageable in 2020 - which led to her suffering a heart attack.

She said: 'In 2020, things got tough. I couldn't afford rising bills - and the boxes were ruining business. I had a heart attack.

'It was really, really hard. It's emotional to think about.'

Ever since the boxes were first put outside Umana Yana, Mrs Monfries has been fighting to get them removed - but it has been a battle to get any answers from Southwark Council.

She has launched petitions, contacted politicians and even presented her case at the Council Assembly, but Southwark Council only gave her a definite answer on October 8 - 12 years after the boxes first appeared.

A council officer admitted to a planning committee it was the 'worst case' he'd ever seen.

But when asked if the council would be removing them, he said 'no', claiming they had been installed 'lawfully'.

Mrs Monfries is frustrated that it took this long to get an answer.

She said: 'They took 12 years to tell me this. If, when we first started this fight, they had sat me down and said, "Look, we can't do anything." At least I would have known.

'They could have given me some options - maybe helped me relocate. But now, there are no options.

'It's too expensive to move. It's too expensive to do anything. So I feel like I am trapped in a situation that's not going to get better.'

Mrs Monfries is still continuing her fight to get the boxes removed - and is hoping that her MP Helen Hayes will take her case to the House of Commons.

She said she is managing to stay afloat at the moment - but only by making her life harder, which she does not feel is sustainable.

Mrs Monfries added: 'I'm only able to keep going because I've been taking my food to markets to sell.

'But I'm 64. I can't keep running around London in order to pay my rent. It's making my life harder.

'I should be able to run my restaurant without being forced to do this.'

Since sharing her story on social media, people have been coming out to support the restaurant.

This has included rapper Central Cee - who donated £15,000 to help Mrs Monfries.

The 26-year-old, from Shepherd's Bush, also appeared alongside Mrs Monfries in a video shot by Vice, where she teaches him to cook Guyanese food.

She said: 'I want to thank Central Cee for taking time out of his busy schedule to give his full support to the 'Save Umana Yana' campaign.

'Central Cee, it was great meeting you personally, and it was a shock to me that you are so famous but it has not gone to your head. You are so down to earth that your love touches all.'

Mrs Monfries also shared her appreciation for local residents - who have also been showing huge support.

She said: 'The customers who know about me support me and love the restaurant.

'I was born in Guyana and so I cook authentic Guyanese food. When I started, I was filling a gap in the London market.

'I just hope I can continue to do so.'

Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes & Sustainable Development at Southwark Council, said: 'We have been in support of the Umana Yana campaign - trying to facilitate a resolution with the telecom companies over a number of years whereby they remove their boxes.

'Under government rules, telecom companies can install their boxes without planning permission from councils.

'Since trying to help facilitate between all parties, we have always been clear that the boxes were lawfully installed and we join others in calling for councils to be given more power to act in these situations.

'Different routes we have explored over the years have included looking into a meditator and advertising Umana Yana on the boxes with the telecom companies' consent.

'We have every sympathy for Umana Yana's owner, which is why we put forward an Article 4 motion.

'This requires telecom companies to ask us for planning permission to install their boxes, masts, and similar structures at this location, including any replacements.'