A fish and chip shop has been given a special blessing by a church vicar.

The Rev Derek Walmsley, of St Mark’s Church, Utley, near Bradford, was asked to pray for the newly-refurbished Utley Fishers.

He said: “This is the first time I’ve done a blessing for a business like this, and I’ve been a vicar for 20 years.

“But I believe God is interested in all aspects of life, so I’m very happy to come and get involved.”

Accompanied by St Mark’s curate Debbi Turley, he read a prayer calling for the well-being of the chippy’s new owners.

Ross Tanner now runs the chippy with two members of staff. His wife Sandra and 15-year-old son Joe help out on some days. The couple also have an 11-year-old son, Ross.

Mr Tanner explained: “Although Sandra and I are not parishioners of St Mark’s we are regular worshippers at St Oswald’s in our home town of Guiseley.

“We are delighted that Derek and his team have agreed to bless our fish and chip shop.

“We feel it is important to be a part of the community in Utley and feel very blessed to have found the shop here, as in the seven weeks we have been open we have met some wonderful people.

“Everyone who has come into the shop has been so supportive and made us feel very welcome. We are truly grateful for their encouragement.

“From the outset we have decided that we were going to be a traditional fish and chip shop.

“We’ve taken into consideration the local community and health implications and have decided to fry in a high-quality vegetable oil that tastes very similar to beef dripping.”

The couple say they plan to enter their business for the National Fish and Chips Quality Award later this month.