Sandbanks restaurant Cafe Shore has been served a winding up petition by the taxman.

HM Revenue and Customs has published a notice in the London Gazette after issuing the petition against Café Shore in Poole.

The petition was due to be heard at the Companies Court at the Royal Courts of Justice in London this week but the hearing has been adjourned until April Ben Brafman at Cafe Shore said the Banks Road business was not under threat of closure, saying they were in “dispute” over a debt.

He said: “We’ve got a dispute going on with revenue and customs.

“But we don’t have any problems.

“Cafe Shore is trading and it’s not going to cease trading.

“That’s the situation and in business these things happen every day.”

Cafe Shore is situated close to the Poole end of the Sandbanks peninsula, offering diners impressive views across Poole harbour.

Lisa Billard, of HMRC, said the petition had been served as a way of getting money that was “due” and not to see the cafe close.

She said: “HMRC’s aim is not to wind up companies or make individuals bankrupt, but to collect, as efficiently as we can, the debts that are due.

“HMRC only initiates winding up or bankruptcy action where it believes this is the best course of action to protect the interests of the exchequer in respect of a particular debt.

“We do not take such action lightly.

“Anyone who is struggling to pay an HMRC debt should call us.

“HMRC has an outstanding track record in supporting those who are experiencing genuine difficulty paying their debts, and this approach will continue.”