Chippy chopped by ex-L'Oréal boss

FORMER L'Oréal perfume boss Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones has won his battle to get rid of a smelly chip stall from outside his chalet in an exclusive part of Val-d'Isère ski resort.

A court in Albertville upheld a complaint from Sir Lindsay and four other owners in the apartment block about the “bad neighbour” La Cabane causing troubles au voisinage with smells and noise from its terrace.

The chip stall owners had said it was a battle of David versus Goliath but they were told to sling their hook and close down within two months – at the end of the winter season.

However, the battle could rumble on as owner Valérie Maerten said that she would not give up, adding: “I’m not going to be turned out by a chap who comes here for just three days a year!”

Sir Lindsay and his neighbours said that that the snackbar and 150sq.m terrace had been built in a no-building zone and fell foul of planning and hygiene rules.

The snackbar was in a building to be used by the cable car company and residence owners had previously tried and failed to get the mayor of Val-d'Isère to close it down in 2008.
Photo: Treimann CC BY-SA 3.0