A CURRY house in York has been named Best Spice Restaurant in the North East.

Mumbai Lounge, in Fossgate, had been nominated for the British Curry Awards and made it to the finals in 2015 and 2016, but this is the first time it has won the accolade.

Owner Rakib Ali said he felt "very blessed to have a great restaurant in a great city", and was grateful to his staff and customers.

He said: "It is every Indian restaurant owner's dream to win the British Curry Award, it's like our Oscars. The awards have the support of the Prime Minister, the royal family, politicians and many celebrities.

"This year we entered again, not expecting to win, but this is a very satisfying result for us, especially as it was so unexpected. I couldn't have done this without the support of my staff - especially my brothers Jamal and Kamal - and the fantastic support we have from our customers here in York and the surrounding areas."

Liberal Democrats Leader, York-born Sir Vince Cable, spoke at the British Curry Awards ceremony on November 27, and warned the Brexit vote had caused a crisis in Indian restaurants around the country, with more than 1,000 closing their doors in the last 18 months.

Sir Vince said the refusal of the Government to consider a points-based immigration system to allow spice chefs into the country had damaged the industry.

He said: "If there was ever any doubt beforehand, the shortage of curry chefs is now a crisis. The government received excellent suggestions on how to solve this problem over 18 months ago, but this well-researched 75-page document has sadly gone ignored.

"Theresa May must revisit these proposals, which include a tightly controlled, one-year work visa, so that our curry restaurants can bring expert chefs to the UK and to train the next generation of curry cooks. We need more urgent measures, including what has been dubbed a ‘vindaloo visa’, to save the nation’s favourite cuisine."