SWINDON has voted the Britz Fish and Chip shop as the best takeaway in the town.

Adver readers tipped the West Swindon chippie ahead of all other establishments much to the delight of store manager Alan Clark, who has run the business for 36 years.

The 63-year-old left the catering profession when he had his family but couldn’t resist coming back when he saw the management position advertised all those years ago.

He told the Adver: “It’s absolutely brilliant. I love it. I think it’s the quality of our products which is excellent. It’s all cooked fresh and our customers have been there for years.

“There are so many regulars and we like to have some banter with them.

“It’s a nice award to have. It’s always nice to get positive feedback from customers.”

Alan’s chippie guarantees fresh fish and chips to customers to keep them coming back for more.

Another of its branches won a Wiltshire Business award this year, but the Swindon branch will go head to head with recent winners of Swindon’s Best awards when Adver readers vote for Swindon’s Finest business in August.

The manager attributes the long-running success of the business to his colleagues.

He said: “It’s down to the staff. They’re trained to do things our own special way and we’re a really happy family. We like to think of ourselves that way.”

“We have a lot of competition from Subway, McDonald’s and other places but we just blow them out of the water.

“People’s needs have changed. They look for quantity more than quality but we do things the other way. We don’t compromise on products, we never have and we never will.”

Britz has a variety of specialist fish on the menu including swordfish, tuna, plaice, haddock and salmon, but cod remains a favourite order.

Customers have voiced their approval for the service on the TripAdvisor reviews website.

Diana from Swindon said: “Living in West Swindon I can recommend buying fish & chips here. My husband and I always buy the ‘senior’ portions which is more than enough for us and it is always cooked to perfection.”

Another local reviewer said: “The pensioner meal is good value and very nice.

“The fish and chips are excellent and the service is very good. It’s right next to Asda and a good car wash. A good place to have lunch while your car gets washed.”

Crispin said: “Great quality fish and chips. Always fresh and quick service. Can’t recommend highly enough. Just go and have a portion.”