A group of bikers waiting to tuck into fish suppers in Oban were sent home hungry after police ordered them to get a refund and abandon their orders.
The motorcyclists had congregated at George Street Fish Restaurant and Chip Shop on Saturday.
Owner John Stewart was furious that the freshly cooked food went to waste after officers sent his customers on their way.
He said that police were “heavy handed” in their approach to dealing with coronavirus regulations.
The chippy is popular with bikers because of its outdoor picnic benches and motorcycle parking nearby.
On Friday national guidelines changed from “stay at home” to “stay local”. People are still being urged not to travel outside their local authority area for non-essential reasons.
Mr Stewart said: “Customers order their food, pay for it and wait outside. We had about a dozen customers who were told by police to go and get their money back. They caused total mayhem. It was quite busy. We had already started cooking the fish. There were only two of us working and it caused confusion trying to give people their money back.
“The police could have easily told them to get their fish and chips and go home instead of causing disruption to my business. Times are hard enough.”
He said there were quite a lot of visitors on Saturday despite the lockdown: “It was about 3pm. We had been quite busy.
“We were working away and all of a sudden the customers started asking for their money back.
“I asked what was wrong and was told, ‘the police are telling us we need to get a refund’.
“Two officers were standing at the side of the shop, out of sight slightly, telling people, ‘you are not allowed to buy fish and chips, get a refund and go home’.
“It was mostly bikers. There was a big queue across the road at Gelato Burger with lots of families with kids and none of them were told to go. They didn’t go to any of the other chip shops.
“They were targeting me because the bikers come to me. The parking bay is round the corner. They sit at my benches, eat their fish and chips and look at each others bikes.
“If police didn’t want people to come into town they should have put a road block somewhere.
“The customers could see we were in a difficult position. I went out and spoke to the police. They were quite aggressive.
“I know people are not meant to leave their area but they are going to do it anyway and have been doing it. It was heavy handed of the police.
“They weren’t outside Tesco asking people to get refunds.”
Chief Inspector Marlene Baillie, area commander for Argyll and Bute, said: “The coronavirus regulations have had a significant impact on our lives. I would like to thank the vast majority of people who are sticking to the rules and doing the right thing to avoid the spread of the virus as we move through the easing of restrictions.
“On Saturday we received a report of a large gathering at Queens Park Place and George Street in Oban. Officers attended and engaged with the group, explained the legislation and encouraged compliance. The group then left area without any issues.
“People should not travel out with their local authority area except for essential purposes. I would urge people to stay local and follow the regulations on gatherings.”
In November police in Oban were forced to issue a warning after handing out 10 penalty notices in one weekend to those breaching travel guidance.