Len Hayes and daughter Carly at Manze pie and mash shop

ONE of the capital’s oldest pie and mash shops is set to close due to rising business rates.

M.Manze, in Chapel Market, Angel, has been serving the traditional London grub since 1911. The shop’s manager for the past seven years, who did not want to be named, confirmed that business rates were the cause of the closure.

Last night (Thursday) customers were swapping stories about the shop, which has catered for birthdays, weddings and funerals during its 106-year history.

Lifelong customer Len Hayes, 64, a postman who used to live nearby in Wynford Road, said: “I remember there being sawdust on the floor. It’s an institution.”

It is still unknown when the doors will shut for good. Some businesses in Islington have had their rates hiked by 45 per cent, the third biggest increase in the country.