A FISH and chip shop is facing a rap from the council after it breached planning conditions to open for breakfast.

Hyndburn Borough Council received complaints after Pisces Traditional Fish and Chips, High Street, Rishton, opened at 8am to sell bacon sandwiches.

The chippy’s planning permission, passed last July, said it can only open from 10am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday.

Nick Pongourou, who owns Pisces with his wife, said he could not remember the opening hours stated in the application.

He said: “I have had interest from my customers saying I should do bacon sandwiches. I have always had it in the pipeline.”

The co-owner of nearby cafe The Lemon Tree said he would have objected if he had known Pisces planned to open at 8am.

Peter Norman said: “It’s too early to say if it’s affecting our trade because it only started on June 28.

“We did not object to a fish and chip shop opening and now he’s opening a sandwich bar early in the morning.”

Rishton councillor Ken Moss said: “We had complaints they have been opening and it’s damaging trade for the cafes.

“You can’t blame people for trying to grow their business but the planning permission does not allow them to do it. I have nothing against the business but planning conditions are there for a reason.”

Defiant Mr Pongourou said the only people who will be upset were ‘people who are competing’. He said: “It’s everyone for themselves. We are all trying to make a buck.”

The council said it would ask Mr Pongourou to submit a planning application to vary the condition.

A spokesman said: “When the planning application was submitted for the development of a fish and chip shop at 15 High Street, the opening hours were limited to those which the applicant had applied for – between 10am and 9pm, Monday to Saturday.

“If the owner of the fish and chip shop wishes to operate outside these hours then they would need to apply to the council to vary the condition of their planning permission that limits the opening hours.”