A chippy which served a famous ‘black bull’ has closed for good.

The owners of London Terrace Chippy in Darwen have announced they will not be re-opening the doors because of rising costs and personal circumstances.

The chippy was opened by Adam McGregor and his fiancé Sarah Delaney three years ago, just before the pandemic hit, and since then they have faced a number of obstacles.

They only served ‘old school’ style, using beef dripping for frying and made their own creation, a ‘black bull’ which was made with black pudding.

The business shut on November 15, but last week it was confirmed it will not be re-opening under Adam and Sarah’s tenure.

Adam, now the chef at Dolly’s Tearoom in the town, said: “We were very well received as a local family business, that had good quality food.

“As everyone knows the timing of opening a business a couple of months before a worldwide pandemic wasn’t great, but none of us had a crystal ball.

“We got through Covid and were really picking up trade again as things opened up.

“But then around the end of summer 2021 I fainted twice and when I went to the doctors, it was found I was born with an undiscovered rare heart defect.

“My mum and my fiancée took over the chippy, but because of other commitments it was reduced hours and after around 12 months we were forced to close.”

Adam’s heart condition, which meant the left side of his heart formed upside down in the womb, left him unable to work at the chippy as he needed a pacemaker which could have been interfered by the machinery.

While he was in hospital in November 2021, the chippy closed and hit the market until Sarah and his mum took over.

For Adam rising costs were the final nail in the coffin.

He added: “When we opened a 10kg sack of marrowfat peas was under £10, an 18kg case of fish was around £100 and beef dripping was around £1 per kilo. By the start of year three, peas were over £20 a sack, the fish was £220, and the fat was around £3 a kilo.

“My costs were doubling and tripling everywhere, but with our location we couldn’t just put our prices up to seaside or city centre prices or I would have had no customers.

“A large fish, chips and peas was £6.50, and we got lots of comments on the price being high.

“Realistically we should have been charging closer to £8, and after the price increases we had to deal with it would have to be around £14 to make the business viable for us.

“All that was before I got my energy renewal quotes, for gas and electric it had cost me around £2,000 a year, I was told on the same usage the best deal I could get would be £20,000 per year. That’s when we had to close the doors.”

The chippy is up for rent with Ainsworth Lord Estate Agents. The new tenants will inherit all the equipment.