CHIP shop owner Brendan Shiel has formed his own pudding club after seven customers and a member of staff all became pregnant.

Sonia Marshall, 34, Kelly Mooring, 28, and Hannah Freeman, 26, are all expecting their third child after visiting the Trinity Street chip shop in Oswaldtwistle.

Also among the expectant mothers are sisters Ann-marie Moss, 24, of Eagle Street, Oswaldtwistle, and Julie Griffin 31, of New Lane, Oswaldtwistle, who is expecting her fourth child at the beginning of December.

Donna Moss, 24, Ann-marie's twin, had her third child -- a girl called Jazmin -- last week.

Another customer, Joanne Smith, is also expecting after partaking of the shop's wares, and Brendan said he had seen an eighth woman in a delicate condition in his shop.

A change in cooking fat could be the answer to the baby boom, he said.

"I was wondering if there was something in my chips.

"The only thing that I have changed in my shop is the frying oil," he said.

"I have been here two years and there has always been one or two who were pregnant at the same time.

"Now seven customers, and one member of staff have all got pregnant at once and they're starting to show.

"They are anything from four months upwards -- I did change my fat round about that time.

"Every time another one comes in I can't believe it."

Sonia, of Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle, already has two girls.

Kelly, of Richmond Road, Accrington, who works at the shop, has been trying for an addition to her two sons for 18 months and will find out tomorrow what she is having.

And Hannah, of Trinity Street, Oswaldtwistle, has already chosen the name Jessica for the daughter due on October 7 -- she already has two sons.

Ann-marie has already chosen a name for her first child -- a daughter -- due the first week in October.

Amazingly she's calling it Trinity, but insists it is not because of the chip shop.

"My partner likes the character Trinity in the film The Matrix," she said.

Julie said: "It's a bit of a coincidence us all falling pregnant at once. It's wonderful, it's so nice."

Meanwhile Tracy Wilson, of Havelok Street, Oswaldtwistle, is putting her faith in the magic oil after she had an operation to reverse an earlier sterilisation.

"I hope it works," she said.