CUSTOMERS at a top hotel got steamed up when they heard their favourite chefs were leaving.

Paulo Atalainha and Stan Rivers took redundancy from the Burnley's Comfort Friendly Inn after being told a switch to fast food made their skills surplus to requirements.

Now furious regulars are turning the heat on the company, with a boycott and the threat of picketing the town centre hotel.

They have sent a 70-name protest petition to the Friendly Hotels group in London complaining about "the extremely bad treatment" of "The Burnley Two."

The action has been organised by Chris Keene, a Burnley council project officer, who said that while it was probably too late to save Stan and Paulo's jobs, customers had every right to have their feelings known and to take their custom elsewhere.

In a letter to the group chairman, Mr Keene says the chefs produced food of the highest possible standard, providing quality "rare in this day and age". He says the duo also worked hard to market the hotel, encouraging many people to use its facilities.

Mr Keene, who held his 40th birthday party at the hotel last year, says the microwave/fast food replacement facility was a poor substitute for the quality which had built an excellent reputation for its restaurant.

He says profit motive has triumphed over service and adds: "We can confirm we will not be using your facilities in future because we are loyal to staff who have been treated disloyally by your organisation."

Mr Keene said Paulo who had been at the Comfort Friendly for six years and Stan, a chef with the group for 11 years, were given the choice of a cut in wages or a move to another town.

He said 80 regulars threw a farewell party for Paulo, who has found a job with another local hotel, and Stan, who is still out of work.

Today Paulo said: "We both loved the work and were very disappointed to go."

Hotel manager Stephen Burnett said neither he nor the company had any comment to make on the matter.

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