A PUB owner in Tardebigge was praised for his quick thinking last week when he tackled a chip pan fire which broke out in the pub's kitchen.

Clive Brookes was congratulated for his actions at The New Tardebigge Pub, in Hewell Lane, during a fire last Thursday where a chip pan caught fire.

Mr Brookes evacuated staff out of the closed pub and tackled the fire with a CO2 fire extinguisher and a fire blanket.

As he did this he had some hot oil splash in his eye and he later had to be taken to hospital.

The fire brigade arrived from Bromsgrove shortly after the alarm had been raised and firemen used another extinguisher to put out the fire completely. They also vented the building.

To ensure the fire had not spread into the ducting they also checked with a thermal imaging camera to make sure there was no other fire.

A spokesperson for Bromsgrove fire brigade said: "If it wasn't for Mr Brookes' quick thinking the situation could have been a lot worse."

A spokesperson for Punch Retail, which now operates the pub, said: "We are pleased to hear that nobody was hurt during the fire.

"The pub's managers Clive and Tina Brookes dealt with it swiftly and professionally and prevented this from being a more serious incident."