"It's really hard for us and feels absolutely wrong"
An Indian restaurant in Oxfordshire is shutting down after over 20 years of service, following repeated complaints about the smell of curry.
Cinnamons Restaurant in Wheatley will permanently close in mid-June, leaving 10 people unemployed.
The decision follows a legal battle with South Oxfordshire District Council over odours from the kitchen that were deemed a statutory nuisance.
The first complaint about “curry odours” was lodged with the council in 2021. Environmental health officers upheld it, prompting Cinnamons to install a new extractor fan costing around £35,000.
Despite the upgrade, a second complaint led to an abatement notice. The council ruled that the ventilation system was “defective”.
Unable to afford a new system, estimated at £50,000, the restaurant was taken to court.
In October 2024, it pleaded guilty to four charges and was fined £25,000. This included an £11,000 fine, £12,000 in costs to the council, and a £2,000 victim surcharge.
On May 19, 2025, restaurateur Shirazul Hoque informed staff that the restaurant could no longer continue.
He said: “The village wants the restaurant to stay, otherwise we would have closed before paying the £25,000 fine.
“It’s really hard for us and feels absolutely wrong as we love our village… it is hurtful to have our cuisine, which is loved, described as producing obnoxious odours that stink.
“All our employees have families and the chefs who live above the restaurant will be made homeless – it’s a big punch in the gut.”
Cinnamons had operated since 2000. Shirazul’s uncles took over in 2012, and the restaurant earned recognition.
The council’s Environmental Protection Team found that the ventilation system failed to meet standards.
According to the council, “an extensive investigation at this site determined a statutory nuisance existed”.
Cinnamons admitted in court that “they could have done more to mitigate the odour”. Council officers said the business failed to act on guidance provided since 2023.
Shirazul said: “We wanted to resolve it because we’ve been here for 20 years, we love our village and we wanted to do something about it.”
He added that a higher-grade ventilation model was suggested, but the business couldn’t afford the estimated £50,000 installation or ongoing maintenance.
“To be honest, business had not rebounded post-Covid, we’d not been making any profit so we didn’t have the money for this.”
The council confirmed it prosecuted after “Cinnamons Cuisine Limited… breached an environmental abatement notice on several occasions between October 2023 and April 2024”.
In a statement, the authority said: “The council has a legal duty to investigate nuisance complaints about smells from industrial, trade and business premises that could be a statutory nuisance.
“We always aim to advise and support businesses… but if measures are not introduced to solve the issue and abatement notices are breached, we have no option but to prosecute.”
Asked what advice he had for others, Shirazul said:
“Do due diligence in seeing how the council environmental health officers operate and learn the appeal process.”
June 15 will be the restaurant’s last day of trading and to say thank you to the community, Cinnamons will give out free meals.
Shirazul added: “It’s a gesture of thanks for all the support we’ve received through the difficulties of the last few years.
“It’s a way of saying thank you for standing by us.”
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