AFTER 25 years’ trading from North Side, a businessman says an imminent rent hike has forced him out.

Sailing and Technical Services owner John Cluett, 71, said his landlord would not renew the lease because it wanted to double the rent.

Mr Cluett (pictured) has run the marine services business for 50 years and has operated from Number Eight Shed, North Side, for half of that time.

He wanted to stay put, but the property management company would not let him.

‘Our lease has ended and the landlord wants the shed for someone else,’ he said. ‘I think they want to put the rent up. Our rent worked out at about £1,500 a month [£18,000 a year] but they were on about putting it up to £36,000 a year.’

An elderly English woman owns the property, but Mr Cluett said a Guernsey agency had been appointed during the last year to manage it.

‘We got on really well with the lady owner from England, but she got ill and when the Guernsey company took over from her we started having problems,’ he said. ‘I think it’s a loss to the marine industry.’

No one from the agency was available for comment.