Rudely-named south-east London coffee shop ordered to remove its sign

A crudely-named coffee shop in south-east London has been ordered by its landlord to remove the "offensive" sign bearing its name.

F***offee tweeted a picture of a letter it received from the landlord's lawyers:

The letter read: "We are instructed that you have either erected or allowed your sub-tenant to erect an offensive sign on the exterior of the buliding... without the permission or authority from our client to do so and this constitutes a trespass."

According to the letter, the Bermondsey Street coffeeshop could face legal proceedings or the forfeiture of its lease if it does not remove the sign.

It will also have to cover the costs of the legal steps taken so far.

Fans of the coffee shop took to Twitter to express their support of the sign, with several accusing the landlord of being "joyless" and criticising the property owner for adding further hurdles for small businesses.

A petition was started on Change.org to back the "small, indie coffee shop".

It read: "We, the undersigned, confirm we have a sense of humour and find the continued attack on our beloved F***offee an insult to freedom of expression, freedom of speech and humour."

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, known for his use of strong language, has not weighed in on the issue. However, the coffee shop tweeted a picture of a typo-riddled email sent last November that purports to be from Mr Ramsay, praising the "great coffee" and "really pleasant service".

However, other Twitter users pointed out why the landlord might have deemed the sign offensive.

Several people reasoned that the curse word should be kept away from children's eyes, while others thought that the coffee shop's name just isn't that funny.

Some provided helpful suggestions for how the Bermondsey Street cafe could overcome the problem.

Others worried about the repercussions of a victory for the landlord.