A chip shop with a difference is packing 'em in - in a layby on the A19.

Cars, taxis, trucks, vans and caravans have flocked to the layby near the village of Deighton, on the York to Selby road, to eat at the Happy Haddock, a chip shop which was once an underused transport café, and before that the site of a neglected public toilet.

But now it's a success story for owners Dave and Jas Dhesi, from Wheldrake, whose customers drive from Leeds, York, Selby, Stamford Bridge, Pocklington and even further afield. And word of mouth is attracting more people every day.

Dave reckons the secret of his success is that his fish is delivered fresh from Bridlington every day and is never cooked in advance. As a result, he feels his meals can rival that of any seaside café.

He said: "We never pre-cook our fish or leave it under the heat lamps as some places do. That ruins the batter. It loses all that crisp texture that people like. Our customers know it's worth the extra few minutes' wait while we cook their meals to order. That, the fact that I am obsessive about the cleanliness of the shop and that we pride ourselves on our friendliness, are the vital ingredients," he said.

So what made the couple open up on this unlikely site? "I live locally and felt that there was nothing in the villages round here," said Dave. "We did some research asking local people what they thought and decided the business would be viable."

Dave, who has previously run a fish and chip shop in York, said 85 per cent of his customers lived within a few miles' radius - and that The Happy Haddock has become a local community centre as well.

"We get people queuing who haven't seen each other for maybe ten or 20 years, so they catch up while their fish is frying. And we do our bit with raffles for schools and charities."

His efforts have paid off - even when thousands of people stayed at home to watch Chelsea and Man United battle it out in Moscow, the Happy Haddock was as busy and bustling as ever.