Stale fat smell from Aikens's chip shop has the neighbours sizzling

The smell of fish and chips normally makes the mouth water. But for chef Tom Aikens it has caused a bit of a stink among the neighbours of his Chelsea restaurant.

They have complained about the odour of stale cooking fat. Ex-diplomat Sir Michael Jenkins, who lives 40 yards from the Michelin-starred chef's Tom's Place, said: "I get a horrible smell."

He said Aikens, who was sacked by Pied ‡ Terre in 1999 for allegedly "branding" a 19-year-old trainee chef with a knife, had refused to listen to complaints.

Designer Laura Benjamin, who lives next door to the chip shop in Cale Street, added: "The smell is everywhere. The value of our flats has been halved and everyone is furious."

Miss Benjamin said a fan Aikens installed to disperse the smell only increased the problem. "There should be a state-of-the art filtration plant," she said. "Instead, there is a fan the size of two aircraft engines three inches from my terrace which spreads a poisonous so-called deodorant."

Aikens, 38, said he had done his best to improve the situation, adding: "The deodoriser is tested and approved or we wouldn't be allowed to use it. We've also changed our fat from beef to vegetable. It's very difficult to please everyone."

A spokesman for Kensington and Chelsea council said it has "instituted legal proceedings in the absence of works being carried out".