A TAKEAWAY cafe in Leytonstone is the first in the country to be closed because it is too close to a school.

Police and council officers slapped a closure order on Caribbean takeaway Bamboo Joint because it broke new council rules which ban fast food outlets from opening near schools, parks, leisure centres in a bid to battle childhood obesity.

Takeaway shops are also banned from opening within 400 metres of each other and the council limits the numbers that can open up on the high street.

Bamboo Joint is within the exclusion zones around Tom Hood Secondary School, Mayville Primary School and Langthorne Park.

The owners of the cafe in Leytonstone High Road had not applied for planning permission and were given three days to shut down.

The council began its crackdown on fast food outlets after receiving numerous complaints from residents about litter, noise and because of children snacking on takeaway food instead of eating healthy school meals.

Council leader Clyde Loakes said: "Residents have told us they wanted us to take action against the proliferation of fast food outlets in this borough and today's operation has shown we're doing exactly that.

"This fast food outlet has not got planning permission and has absolutely no chance of getting it, because of its proximity to a park and a school, so we're closing it down."

The council is considering plans to ensure fast food outlets use their own brand on packaging so litter on the streets can be traced to a particular business.

Cllr Loakes added: "It's a small step but it sends out the message that we're not going to tolerate people who are blatantly trying to undermine the policy we've put in place for very good reasons.

"We've got enough fast food outlets in the borough already. There's a big issue around childhood obesity and these outlets do nothing to help."

But Bamboo Joint's customers are furious with the council for closing it.

Chris Parkinson, 23, of Victoria Road, Leytonstone, has visited Bamboo Joint for the past three years.

He said: "The cafe's owners refurbished the kitchen and the dining area but they applied before the council changed the rules."

Mellodie Lestrade, 37, of Borthwick Road, Leytonstone, added: "Bamboo Joint doesn't serve fast food. It serves fresh Caribbean food. You have to sit down and eat here. This is not a takeaway. There are several shops which sell pizzas and chips for a pound round here. Why doesn't the council shut them down?"

She added children from Mayville School did not buy food because it is primary school and do not let their pupils leave the premises during lunch time.

She said Tom Hood School is to far away for pupils to walk to get lunch.