Street vendor heartbroken at being told to move

Norma Urey said the support from her customers had been "amazing"

A popular street food vendor has said she is "heartbroken" at being told she has to move her stall to make way for other businesses.

Norma Urey, 60, has been operating just outside Telford Centre in Shropshire for the last 13 years, and more than 1,000 people have signed a petition calling for a rethink.

She said support she had from customers had been "just amazing" and she would look for a new site elsewhere.

Telford Centre said it had tried without success to find other sites and she said she felt "no anger" towards them.

Ms Urey said she set up the stall because "I just love feeding people" and she wanted to make food that anyone could enjoy.

Town centre managers told her on Monday she would have to leave within three months and she said she had taken the day off to collect her thoughts.

"I feel like I've had the stuffing knocked out of me and I need to stuff it back in," she said.

But she promised not to give up, saying "it's been a challenge all the time I've been there".

That included seeing her rent double and the Covid-19 pandemic, plus seeing other costs rising in recent years.

Urey's Street Food has been operating for 13 years

Ms Urey has built up a loyal following, especially through her online food videos.

"Everyone is just amazing, but I knew they would be because they always are," she said.

Tessa Edwards, who set up the online petition, described the stall as "more than a place to eat" and said it was "part of our community fabric".

"Small businesses like this have fought so hard to keep going," she said, citing the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

She called for a change of plan and added: "We can't see it fall now."

Telford Centre manager Glynn Morrow said he was proud of the support that Ms Urey had received over the past 13 years, but the centre had "two new units currently in for planning" and they would need her site for access.

He said the centre had spoken to her about other sites at the shopping centre, but they could not find one which met her needs for power and footfall.

Mr Morrow also said he would endorse any application she made to other landlords and understood Telford and Wrekin Council had some alternatives and had been in touch with her.