A YouTube group with more than 130 million subscribers has been told to stay away from Merry Hill this weekend as their new restaurant opens in the shopping centre. The Sidemen were due to surprise diners at their new chicken restaurant Sides on Saturday, November 18 but Dudley Council has asked them to cancel after as many as 10,000 people were expected to turn up.

The YouTubers are launching Sides in Merry Hill, their first restaurant location outside of London. They planned to surprise diners on opening night but the local council has squashed the idea, citing safety concerns.

The 3,000 square foot restaurant has room for around 90 covers diners and it has created 40 jobs at the shopping centre. The restaurant will serve double-coated chicken that is 'crispy and full of flavour' as well as meat-free options.

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Jordan Schwarzenberger, manager of The Sidemen, said: "We have been asked to make it very clear that The Sidemen will definitely not be attending the West Midlands this weekend.

"The boys are obviously extremely disappointed to not share this moment with their fans and supporters but after speaking to the local authorities, public safety has to be our primary focus. We’re still incredibly proud to be opening in Merry Hill and creating 40 jobs for the local area, and the restaurant will still be opening on Saturday from 11am onwards."

The Sidemen, Olajide "KSI" Olatunji, Simon "Miniminter" Minter, Joshua "Zerkaa" Bradley, Tobi "TBJZL" Brown, Ethan "Behzinga" Payne, Harry “W2S” Lewis, and Vikram "Vikkstar123" Barn are popular on the video sharing platform as well as other forms of social media. KSI's drink brand Prime went viral last year.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said: "Dudley Council chairs a Safety Advisory Group, working with partners including West Midlands Police, which prioritises the safety and wellbeing of people who live and work in our borough.

“Recently we were notified of an event that was proposed to take place this weekend at the Merry Hill centre. This was likely to attract significant numbers of people due to the celebrity status of some individuals who planned to make an appearance.

“Due to significant safety concerns, and the likelihood that such an event would attract more people than could be safely accommodated at the venue, we deemed the proposed event to be unsafe. As a result of these concerns being raised, the organisers have now taken the responsible decision to cancel the event."

A Merry Hill spokesperson added: “It’s exciting to see the interest in the opening of Sides’ new restaurant, which is a UK first for a shopping centre and the latest addition to the thriving food and drink scene at Merry Hill. As already clear, on the advice of local authorities Sides have confirmed there will be no launch event or special guests attending the restaurant on its first day.

“We know our customers are eager to experience what Sides has to offer and we look forward to seeing them enjoy the popular eatery when it opens."