Gordon Ramsay’s Pub Has Been Taken Over by Squatters While the Building Is Listed for $16 Million

In a statement to PEOPLE, London's Metropolitan Police said they were made aware of the squatters on April 10

Gordon Ramsay’s London Pub Taken Over by Squatters Gordon Ramsay’s London Pub Taken Over by Squatters
Gordon Ramsay and his York & Albany pub. Photo:

FOX via Getty Images; Ray Tang/Shutterstock

One of Gordon Ramsay’s London pubs has been taken over by squatters, PEOPLE can confirm. 

The celebrity chef’s York & Albany pub in Central London has been occupied by at least six people, who allegedly boarded the windows, according to the BBC. The building where York & Albany was located and rented by Ramsay was listed on the market for £13 million, or about $16 million U.S. dollars, in December.

In a statement to PEOPLE, the Metropolitan Police said they were made aware of the squatters at a “disused property” near London's Regent’s Park on April 10.

“This is a civil matter and so police did not attend as an emergency call out,” the statement continued. 

The police said they will get involved if necessary: “We [are] in the process of identifying if any subsequent offences [sic] have occurred, and will take action where appropriate.”

As the situation is being handled legally, Ramsay’s team declined to comment on the matter.  

According to the U.K.’s official squatter rules, “Simply being on another person’s non-residential property without their permission is not usually a crime."

“The police can take action if squatters commit other crimes when entering or staying in a property,” the government website reads. Such crimes include causing damage when entering and while in the property, using utilities and not leaving when ordered by the court. 

A group of squatters have taken over a Gordon Ramsey's £13 million London pub near Regents Park. A group of squatters have taken over a Gordon Ramsey's £13 million London pub near Regents Park.
York & Albany pub.

Ray Tang/Shutterstock

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The BBC reports that the squatters intend to use the pub as a community art cafe. 

The Sun was the first outlet to report on the news, sharing photos of the squatters sleeping on couches inside the establishment. The squatters also put up a legal warning that intended to justify their right to stay there, per the outlet.

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