Celebrity chef Paul Heathcote has been forced to close his flagship Liverpool restaurant after a demolished bridge trapped the eatery in a "cul-de-sac".
The restaurateur claims Simply Heathcotes, in Beetham Plaza, had struggled for business after a bridge link that brought thousands of passers-by past the food outlet was removed, restricting access to the restaurant.
The restaurant closed down the kitchen for the final time on Wednesday after being a hot-spot for diners for more than nine years.
Mr Heathcote said he was disappointed the restaurant now was closed blaming the bridge for its downfall.
He said: "I've stuck with it for the best part of two years since the bridge has come down and been able to turn it around."
"The bridge was removed and we suddenly had a couple of thousand people not going past any more. We effectively became a cul-de-sac."
The overhead walkway across the Strand that linked the Pier Head with Beetham Plaza, was one of the last of the city's bridge links of its kind.
It was demolished in 2007, leaving the celebrity chef with restricted access to his modern Liverpool outpost.
The Bolton-born chef confirmed that his popular Olive Press restaurant in Castle Street would remain open.
All 19 staff at Simply Heathcotes have been offered work elsewhere in the company.
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