The legendary jacket potato seller known as ‘Spudman’ is facing angry backlash in the town where he trades after winning a battle against council chiefs who wanted to move his trailer.
The takeaway boss, who has an incredible 4.2million followers on TikTok and 560,000 on Instagram, is facing fury from local café owners who claim his customers use their toilets and sit down to eat his potatoes at their tables and chairs.
A source has also claimed the local council has seemingly turned a blind eye to hygiene complaints about his hugely popular stall which sells £5 jacket potatoes with a range of fillings in Tamworth, Staffordshire.
Other local residents have taken to social media to accuse him of running a ‘manky old spud wagon’ and say ‘he doesn’t deserve this pedestal people have put him on’.
Spudman, 40, whose real name is Ben Newman, admitted that his straight talking had ‘upset a few people at the council’ and described his detractors as being jealous of his success and having ‘green eyes’.
He also dismissed claims that he had been seen pouring cooking oil down a drain, saying: ‘We don’t use cooking oil, we have no fryers, and we bake jacket potatoes in the oven.’
Spudman also hit back at a suggestion that he dumped bags of waste next to already over-flowing public bins to avoid paying commercial waste disposal fees.
He said: ‘We have bins on site and bins in the yard, a farm we rent nearby, which we use and have a waste licence.’
Takeaway boss Ben Newman, known as Spudman, is facing fury from local café owners who claim that his customers use their toilets and sit down to eat his potatoes at their tables and chairs
Residents have taken to social media to accuse him of running a ‘manky old spud wagon’, saying ‘he doesn’t deserve this pedestal people have put him on’
Spudman hit back, saying his straight talking had ‘upset a few people at the council’. He described his detractors as being jealous of his success and having ‘green eyes’
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, he also addressed bizarre claims that he had got in hot water for making his own gas-powered spud gun and firing it in Tamworth town centre, injuring a member of the public.
He admitted making the gun, saying: ‘I did fire it, but it was in an empty car park at 5am and I didn’t target anyone, and no one, as far as I am aware, was injured. It was just a bit of fun.
‘I made the spud gun, there’s a YouTube video of me with it, and on this occasion a police officer did have a little word with me and I got a ticking off. He said “It is a bit of a silly thing to do”!
‘But the cop loved the gun, saying it was brilliant. He told me to use it on private land and not in public. That was the end of the matter.’
Spudman made headlines after he was forced to temporarily move from his usual trailer spot in St Editha’s Square to allow the pedestrianised area to be refurbished by the local council.
He claimed he felt ‘destroyed’ when he was told that he would have to trade from a side street after the work to the square was completed, and would not be able to return to his old location due to a new flowerbed being put there instead.
Spudman made headlines after he was forced to temporarily move from his usual trailer spot in St Editha’s Square, Tamworth, to allow the pedestrianised area to be refurbished by the local council
Spudman (left) also addressed claims that he had ended up in hot water for making his own gas-powered spud gun and firing it in Tamworth town centre, injuring a member of the public (Pictured with his son Dylan, right)
His hugely popular stall sells £5 jacket potatoes with a range of tasty fillings in Tamworth, Staffordshire
The plans sparked an outcry from Spudman’s devoted fans and 113,000 of them signed a petition in less than two weeks to demand that Tamworth Borough Council reverse its decision and allow him back on his usual pitch.
The petition forced the council to make a U-turn, and it announced in February that he would be able to return to his beloved spot following the re-opening of the square in June, after all.
But Spudman’s victory against officialdom has not gone down so well with some in the town who claim that his high profile is undeserved. They have accused the council of caving in to his demands.
Coleen Mills, who owns the Side Walk Café which faces the market place on St Editha’s Square, said: ‘I don’t know Spudman personally but it is annoying that his customers come along with their jackets and eat them at my place when the tables and chairs outside his trailer are full.
’They’ve also been using our toilet facilities, but I’ve put a stop to that now. But when I’ve moved people on I’ve been given a lot of verbal abuse, which is very unfair.’
‘He should stop them from doing this, but he doesn’t care. He has become very arrogant and he thinks he owns the market and land here. He’s got too big for his boots.’
Spudman’s victory against officialdom has not gone down so well with some in the town who claim that his high profile is undeserved
Ms Mills, whose business has been in her family for 35 years, added: ‘He trades on market days, Tuesday and Saturdays, and a few days in between.
‘He strides up and down the fenced-off market square as if he’s the boss and he’s calling all the shots with the council.’
She said there had been many online rants against Spudman from locals and fellow traders, and claimed he was ’never going to be replaced with a flowerbed’ at the refurbished market, but was simply going to be moved along from his old pitch.
Ms Mills added: ‘Now he’s won his way and got the prime spot, and we all lose the flowerbed.’
Her female co-worker said of father-of-nine Spudman: ‘He might have a cult following but he divides opinion in Tamworth. He’s a bit like Marmite, you either love him or hate him!’
Sue Vaughan, who owns the Market Café, said: ‘I know Spudman, but I don’t think a lot of him. He has too much attitude and is always going on about the market square. The claims he made about being replaced by a flowerbed were ridiculous! He doesn’t own the square but he thinks he does.’
Ms Vaughan also moaned about Spudman’s customers using her facilities without permission.
Celebrity guests – including Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman – have tried the potatoes from Spudman’s stall
Ms Vaughan also moaned about Spudman’s customers using her facilities without permission (Pictured: a queue of people waiting for 45 minutes in February for Spudman’s stall)
She claimed she brought the issue up with the council and Spudman at a meeting last month.
She said: ‘I’ve had his customers using my loos, when they should be for mine only, and I’ve now had to padlock them.
‘He needs to sort out his own toilets or tell his customers to use public ones. They’re also sitting on my tables and chairs outside eating his food, which is out of order.’
Ms Vaughan added: ‘He needs to provide more bins for his customers’ rubbish because they are dumping all their boxes in bins around town, and many are overflowing.’
She told MailOnline that she had a run-in with him when he was on his previous pitch before the market closed for redevelopment.
She said: ‘I was unloading all my groceries from my car outside the café, and he came over and shouted and swore at me for getting in the way of his customers and tried to force me to move, but I refused.
Tamworth Borough Council is currently carrying out renovation works and wanted to place a flowerbed in Spudman’s original pitch
One of the options from Spudman’s stall is ‘The Kebab Spud’
Market Café owner Sue Vaughan told MailOnline that she had a run-in with Spudman when he was on his previous pitch before the market closed for redevelopment, saying he ‘shouted and swore’ at her
‘He should have apologised for his behaviour, but he didn’t. He thinks the market revolves around his stall and that he’s the most important, the biggest and best, but many of us have been here for as many years as he has, or longer.
‘As a person I have nothing against him, but he has become quite arrogant as his popularity grows.’
Spudman insisted he was powerless to stop his customers eating their potatoes in cafés around the town, saying: ‘How can I stop that? There are a couple of cafés around the market square but the problem is the owners sit there all day and are not so busy, and they see me nice and busy and it’s “green eyes”.
‘Their cafés have increased trade on the back of my success. I put tables and chairs out for my customers, which get full, and I tell them to use public toilets but I can’t stop them going elsewhere.’
Local resident Monique Dennis, 38, who works as a mental healthcare assistant, said: ’Spudman is very overrated, to be honest!’
Spudman insisted he was powerless to stop his customers eating their potatoes in cafés around the town, saying: ‘How can I stop that?’
‘He has given good publicity to Tamworth, which was going downhill, with shops closing.
‘But I don’t agree with his big petition for a pitch he was never due to lose, but just be moved over from.
‘I wouldn’t queue two hours for a jacket potato you could quite easily make at home. But he does support the local community, and he gave our nursing home a raffle ticket prize of two free potatoes worth £10.’
An anonymous source with connections close to the council told MailOnline: ‘I’m genuinely annoyed about what’s going on and feel like it’s time someone said something.
‘There has been ongoing drama with Spudman. He might be popular online but what people don’t see is the chaos and double standards.
‘The council seem to be turning a blind eye to a lot of it, and quite honestly it’s now being paid for by local taxpayers.
Local resident Monique Dennis said: ‘I wouldn’t queue two hours for a jacket potato you could quite easily make at home’
A queue at Spudman’s trailer in January 2024, after his baked potatoes went viral on TikTok
‘There have been multiple hygiene complaints made against him, including from residents and nearby businesses. Some of them have gone through environmental health with nothing being done, but others seem to have just quietly disappeared.’
Describing the incident with the spud gun, the source said: ‘Why he had it in a busy shopping area is beyond me.’
The source also suggested that Spudman had been seen pouring oil down a drain and dumping his bags of waste beside public bins, saying: ‘It’s disgusting and it’s not fair on the rest of those who follow the rules.’
Spudman dismissed the source’s claim that he had broken council rules by not having DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks done for all his staff. He insisted that he had the DBS certificate, along with his son and two other workers.
He said: ’It is part of the street traders’ licence, and it cost me a small fortune to do and is ridiculous.’
Spudman also hit back at claims that he was trading illegally as he was only licensed for two market days.
An anonymous source suggested Spudman had been seen pouring oil down a drain and dumping his bags of waste beside public bins
Spudman hit back at claims that he was trading illegally as he was only licensed for two market days
He said: ‘I have a trade licence and pay for six days but trade for five, not Sunday and Wednesday. I’m lucky because I only have to work five days.’
But the source suggested Spudman was getting favourable treatment, saying: ‘No other street traders get a deal or are allowed to trade when they are not licensed to.
‘He’s also thousands of pounds in arrears for things like barriers and security for his events and, instead of being chased up, the council is just covering the cost out of taxpayers’ money.
‘Now he’s kicking off on social media claiming the council has taken his pitch. They haven’t. What’s actually happened is he’s ordered a massive new trailer and hasn’t told the council anything about it.
‘It’s too big to fit in his current pitch and he’d need planning permission anyway. He’s basically trying to shift the blame before being held accountable.
‘Most other traders in the town don’t even speak to him any more. They’re sick of it. They pay every penny on time and are held to strict rules. But somehow he gets away with doing whatever he likes.
The source said Spudman is ‘thousands of pounds in arrears for things like barriers and security for his events’
People have flocked from as far as America and Malaysia to try Spudman’s potatoes, with customers queuing for up to three hours
‘There’s a real feeling now that the council is either scared to act or is actively helping him behind the scenes. Either way it’s not right and local people are starting to notice.’
Another local ranted on social media: ‘He’s such a nause crying about moving a few metres away. I don’t think his manky old spud wagon should be one of the first things people see when visiting St Editha’s. It’s an eyesore.
‘He is very entitled about this “patch”. How someone that has enjoyed the success he has can hold such a pity party for themselves is pretty crazy.’
A second resident wrote: ‘People need to realise he doesn’t deserve this pedestal people have him on… [He thinks] he OWNS part of the town centre square and that they should bend to him…’
But the voices criticising Spudman seem to be a minority, due to his huge fan base in the town and further afield, with his supporters including Queen Camilla’s food critic son Tom Parker-Bowles.
Sarah Vickers, who manages the town’s Cosy Café, was full of praise for him, saying: ‘He’s a good advert for Tamworth and he does a lot to help the community.
A local posted to social media saying: ‘He’s such a nause crying about moving a few metres away. I don’t think his manky old spud wagon should be one of the first things people see when visiting St Editha’s. It’s an eyesore’
‘I’ve seen a lot of public complaints about him on social media – people moaning about his row with the council over a flowerbed which they say he blew up out of all proportion.
‘Others are commenting about how many days he is paying to trade – but let him trade every day as long as he is paying his way.’
She said Spudman sometimes comes into her café ‘for breakfast with a couple of staff’.
Ms Vickers, who also sells hot potatoes, added: ‘He gives money for good causes and, like my sister, he has kidney dialysis.
‘We’re a very busy café here and he’s bought more people to town, and on days he’s not open his customers often come down to us.’
Fellow trader Michael, known as the Tamworth Donut Man, said: ‘I’ve known Ben for 14 years and he’s a lovely bloke. People are a bit jealous of his success and saying silly things about him.
The voices criticising Spudman seem to be a minority, due to his huge fan base in the town and further afield, with his supporters including Queen Camilla’s food critic son Tom Parker-Bowles
Spudman serving two members of the ambulance service. Locals say he donates to many good causes
‘He’s been in the town for 20-plus years, he has a five-star hygiene rating, and he’s done nothing wrong. He has a business to run, a family to look after, he’s the best man ever.’
The Tamworth Donut Man added: ‘He’s on a trailer on a side street while the market is closed, but he’ll be back on the square soon, on centre stage, and good luck to him.’
Spudman admitted: ‘I have upset a few people on the council because I have gone against them, and I am trolled on social media.
‘On your way up everyone pats you on the back, but once you have success things change and the negative comments start flying in.
‘We try to do good things for the town and the majority of people support us – it is just a very tiny percentage who are against us. But you can’t keep everyone happy.’
He has been boasting about a huge new ‘mega wagon’ on social media, which he plans to launch at the new market.
Spudman, who is currently trading from a temporary spot until the square refurbishment is completed, admitted: ‘I have upset a few people on the council because I have gone against them, and I am trolled on social media’
Spudman said: ‘On your way up everyone pats you on the back but once you have success things change and the negative comments start flying in’
In a TikTok clip the trader, who needs dialysis five times a week after suffering renal failure in 2010, tells his army of fans: ‘Is the new trailer complete overkill – absolutely!
‘It’s huge. But it’s not built for your average day at Tamworth. No, we’re probably only going to use 50 per cent of the trailer’s capacity. It’s built for that one festival, that one mega day, that absolute peak where it goes completely crazy!’
Simon Sparkes, a site manager for Speller Metcalfe contractors, which is revamping the market in the shadow of St Editha’s church, said: ‘It will look very nice when it is all finished and cleared down.
‘People are pleased that Spudman will be back in place. He has a big following and is very popular, but I don’t get involved in any of the politics.’
He said his team were due to hand the site back to the council, after a seven-month project, on June 12, with fencing removed the following day and the re-opening of the market set to take place on June 16.
A Tamworth Borough Council spokesman said they were unable to comment on allegations or opinions concerning individual traders. They added: ‘The council investigates all relevant complaints received through our official complaints process.’
