NORTH-East fish friers are turning up the heat as they prepare to do batter for a title.

The fish and chip shop of the year competition, which has been running since 1988, has never had a winner from the region.

One chippie of nearly 30 con tenders from the North-East is Beedles, of Bishop Auckland, which opened in 1991 and has entered the competition since then.

The shop serves more than 2,000 portions of fish and chips a week, and was one of the first 25 shops in the UK to receive the Seafish Quality Award.

Manager Angela Patterson, 42, said: "The award normally goes to restaurants, but we're confident of the service we provide - why else would our customers keep coming back. I don't want to sound big-headed, but we know that our product's right, despite not being the cheapest."

Award winners are guaranteed a big pay day. Last year's winners, Allport's from Pwlheli in North Wales, had a 40 per cent increase in trade after taking the title.

A spokesman from the competition organisers said: "More than 250 million meals were sold in fish and chip shops last year, outselling curry houses by more than two to one.

"This is a magnificent achievement for an industry that has been part of our national culture for more than 150 years, yet is still beating off the competition."

Last year, more than three and a half million people in the UK regularly tucked into fish and chips. In the North-East, one in three people visit a fish and chip shop at least once a week.

Following visits from mystery shoppers and inspectors, a North-East winner will be announced. All the regional finalists will go head-to-head at an awards ceremony at London's Caf Royal on November 13.

* Former Atomic Kitten and fish and chip shop worker Kerry Katona married Bryan McFadden, from Westlife, earlier this year. Since leaving the band, she has been looking after baby Molly and starting a TV presenting career. Her late-night television dating show Elimidate started last week.