Lloyds denies Worrall Thompson allegations
Lloyds TSB has denied allegations by celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson that it refused to lend the chef money, forcing his company into administration.
Worrall Thompson vented his anger publicly last week at having to hand his restaurant firm to administrators, claiming Lloyds TSB had refused to extend an overdraft by £200,000, which subsequently forced him to shut four of his six restaurants and make 60 staff redundant.
Thompson said: "It makes me cry. It is just appalling. I am furious, to be honest, that the banks didn't support me."
But Lloyds TSB hit back at the Ready Steady Cook star claiming that his allegations were false.
A spokeswoman at Lloyds TSB told Caterersearch: "Antony Worrall Thompson has made a series of allegations against Lloyds TSB. He has specifically claimed that we demanded his private residence as security on a loan; that we refused his request for borrowing, having not received that security, and that ultimately we forced his company into administration.
"We have looked carefully at these allegations and find none of them to be true. We are disappointed that Anthony Worrall Thompson continues to make them."
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By Gemma Sharkey
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