FENLAND District Council and Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue have joined forces to help Chinese takeaways comply with all the regulations governing fire safety and other health and safety issues.

Nine managers from takeaways in Wisbech attended a special training session at Wisbech Fire Station. Similar sessions are planned for other types of food premises.

The training was led by Giles Grainger, from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, and retained firefighter Hai Tao Liu gave a talk in Mandarin and helped with translation.

Mr Grainger said: “Chinese takeaway owners often face fire safety enforcement action when their premises do not meet legislation standards. This can lead to their premises being closed until fire safety issues are resolved.

“With this in mind, we wanted to work with our partners to implement an educational rather than enforcement approach.”

Dawn Sadler, FDC’s senior environmental health officer, also gave a presentation on good health and safety management in catering premises.

Councillor Peter Murphy, FDC’s portfolio holder responsible for environmental health, said: “We are delighted to be working with Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue on this initiative.

“It is part of our overall commitment to helping our local businesses make their premises safe both for employees and the public.”