A MUM-of-five has vowed revenge after being reported to the council by her neighbour over a CAKE shed.
The sweet-toothed 35-year-old was shocked after her local council called her citing a complaint from her tight knit community.
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Lucy Scott in her high-street shop Beauty Bake which opened in 2021 Credit: Supplied by Lucy Scott
The shed included rows of cookies, brownies, cupcakes and more Credit: Facebook
Lucy Scott first broke headlines when she rescued her family from homelessness with her own successful cake business.
She said: “Not that long ago, I was a homeless single mum, sofa-surfing with my children as I tried to rebuild our lives.
“It was such a difficult time.”
Having turned around her life, she now lives in West Sussex, with husband Ryan, 35, and her children, Anthony, 18, Katie, 17, Tommy, 12, Bobby, 10, and Albie, five.
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Lucy’s cake business first began when trying to support her five children Credit: Facebook
The cake shed relied on honest donations from her loyal customers Credit: Facebook
Lucy first learnt to bake while trying to save money for her kid’s parties.
After significant success, she eventually opened an honesty-box cake shed from her front garden as well as her own cake shop on the local high street.
The shed was open every Saturday to supply the community with freshly-baked cakes and brownies.
It was in April of 2024 that Lucy received a phone call from a woman at Chichester District Council, stating the anonymous complaint.
The lady over the phone claimed there had been concerns over the number of footfall traffic in and out of her home.
Speaking to the DailyMail, Lucy said: “I put her right straight away: the only people setting foot inside my home were my husband, our five children aged seven to 20, plus other family and friends, the same as always.
“Everyone else was simply visiting the pastel-painted wooden cupboard in my garden to help themselves to cake.”
She went on to explain how the ordeal left her stressed and suspicious, wondering which of the nearby residents would have sent such a complaint.
A few weeks later Lucy then got a second phone call from the council, with another anonymous complaint claiming the cake was attracting rats – a rumour she quickly shut down.
Having been a professional wedding and celebration cakemaker for 14 years, she openly welcomed an inspection to the site.
The mother held all of the necessary documents and certifications needed to prove the legitimacy of her small business.
Despite getting the thumbs up from the inspector, the complaints did not stop there.
After Lucy decided to expand her current cake cupboard to a larger, floral display she started to grow a bigger and more loyal fanbase.
Over the coming months Lucy’s social media began to go viral, prompting a bigger response from the public to her sweet treats.
However, with the fame brought a flurry of new criticism.
Although her support online and in person outweighed the negative comments, it eventually started to get to her.
After months of the new display, Lucy eventually closed it down for business, claiming she did not feel comfortable facing such scrutiny so close to her home.
Around the same time she faced a number of personal hardships including a divorce from her children’s father – prompting even more instability.
However, Lucy has assured fans that the fight is far from over.
A year on she is feeling like she may be ready to re-open the shed to friends and customers.
Not only will it help her to support her five children, but also sees it as a form of “sweet revenge”.
Lucy told Daily Mail: “This is my way of showing the busybodies who complained last time that they won’t get me down – and can’t get rid of me that easily.”
