A BURNLEY shopkeeper has been voted national Forecourt Trader of the Year.

Steven Blackadder, who runs the Spar Store at Kitchens Garage in Trafalgar Street, scooped several awards at London's Hilton Hotel last week.

"We were encouraged to enter the awards, but it's not just down to me. I have a fantastic set of staff here and my son David is a tremendous help. All of our staff are extremely helpful. I think we are the only garage that sells strawberries and cream, so that must have helped", he said.

The accolades bestowed upon Steven and his staff include: overall winner of the Forecourt Trader of the Year Award, Best Independent Dealer for the North of England, Best Marketed Site, Best Display of Chilled Foods and Best Forecourt Facilities.

Barry Wallis, a development controller for Spar said: "We are delighted with the award as the standard this year was exceptionally high.

"The winners are a credit to us. Their success acknowledges their commitment to customer satisfaction."