Food influencer crackdown after social media irritants are BANNED by Borough Market from filming at weekends
One of London’s oldest markets has banned food influencers from creating content at weekends to avoid “disturbing” stallholders and visitors.
London Bridge-based Borough Market is asking food critics to ‘apply for permission’ to film before visiting and has banned it entirely over the weekend.
Gerry del Guercio, who runs the Bite Twice social media account with his friend Paul Delany, was blocked by security while trying Humble Crumble, one of the bakery stalls.
The couple were using phones to film their review of the apple cinnamon cake and pudding, but after a few bites of the sweet dessert they were asked to stop recording and leave the venue.
Despite being asked to leave, Mr Guercio believes creators like himself are ‘forming a queue’ at the fresh food market, one of the capital’s most visited tourist attractions.
‘The modern Borough Market concept now exists thanks to social media. “They need this, it’s important to them,” he said. Times.
‘The not recording thing is ridiculous, we’re just two guys with camera phones. ‘I understand if you’re saying Channel 4 with a big set-up, cameras and lights, but we’re not getting in anyone’s way.’
To apply for a permit, creators must fill out a form on the marketplace’s website, telling them the purpose of any shoot, when they plan to shoot it, and the number of ‘team’. The market said that if anyone filming is caught with a ‘permission letter’, that person will be asked to stop and leave the site.
Gerry del Guercio, who runs the Bite Twice social media account with his friend Paul Delany (pictured), was stopped by security while trying Humble Crumble, one of the bakery stalls.
Despite being asked to leave, Mr Guercio (pictured) believes creators like himself are ‘bringing a tail’ to the market, one of the capital’s most visited attractions
London Bridge-based Borough Market is asking food critics to ‘apply for permission’ to film before visiting and has banned it altogether over the weekend
When security asked if he had permission to film, Mr Guercio labeled the £9 note as ‘a little better than the one I got in primary school’.
After being escorted off the market, the pair said they were ‘genuinely shocked’ after spending ‘£100 an hour’.
The food content creator said he was aware that other influencers had been kicked out of the market after being caught filming without permission.
Among those who captured the moment they were asked to leave the market were Haley and Damian, a couple who run a YouTube channel called We Getaround Travel, and were shocked to see that all the content was already online.
The duo were about to try one of The Black Pig’s popular sandwiches but were stopped before they had the chance.
They said: ‘We couldn’t learn. We actually got expelled from school because of the filming. We thought, surely we’re not the first people to shoot there? Yes, these are literally 754,000 videos of Borough Market online, but we’re off the hook.
‘The security guard said something about our microphone looking too professional. I’m not so sure. ‘
Tanya Goode, who runs the EatingwithTanyaa Instagram account, described it as ‘ridiculous’ that creators cannot make videos without permission.
He said: ‘The first thing I do when I’m looking for somewhere to eat is look at reviews that other people have filmed. Enforcing this all the time will really limit the opportunities for small businesses in the market.’
A spokesperson for Borough Market said: ‘Our filming policy is designed to ensure the activity does not disturb stall holders or visitors and our security team are trained to ask for the relevant consent from anyone filming in the market.
‘This means that we occasionally ask food inspectors to stop filming if it is causing traffic congestion or if they have not obtained the relevant consent.’
