Fudge maker devastated as social media suspended

Pete and Claire Brennan's business Instagram account, with 93,000 followers, was suspended

A fudge maker said her business had been "devastated" after its Instagram account, used to promote its products, was suspended without notice.

Claire Brennan, who owns Want That Fudge in Scunthorpe, said the account had been running for 10 years and had more than 93,000 followers.

Mrs Brennan said the platform was vital for her business and helped to generate sales from customers across the UK.

A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company for Instagram and Facebook, told the BBC it was "investigating the issue".

Mrs Brennan said: "I'm so frustrated because that account shows a huge chunk of our company history so having that audience taken away is soul destroying.

"We share pictures of fudge and chocolate. We haven't done anything wrong and we don't understand why the account is suspended."

Mrs Brennan, who runs the business with her husband Pete, said she created a backup account but that was also removed.

"We've been trying for weeks to appeal the decision and there's been no support from Meta. We've sent emails and messages and had no response.

"If we could just speak to a human being, they'd see it's a mistake."

The family-run business sells fudge and chocolate online as well as from a shop at their factory unit

The closure of the Instagram account is a further blow to the business which was forced to temporarily close in August after its premises on Birkdale Road was targeted by vandals.

Mrs Brennan said: "It just feels like we're having a string of bad luck at the moment.

"We're a small business. It's annoying, but the main thing is we still have our shop and we're still able to get orders out all over the country."

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