The owner of a mobile fish and chip van has decided to give something back to the emergency services with a new queue-jumping initiative.

Daniel Freitas, owner of Flitch and Chips, has launched the 'Blue light Q-jump scheme' and is encouraging other takeaway owners to take part.

Mr Freitas's mobile fish and chip van operates in Great Dunmow and Flitch Green and is a popular stop for many emergency service workers. Mr Freitas noticed however, that with many of the men and women on call, it wasn't always easy to find time for lunch.

"These guys are on the frontline but can miss out on the opportunity to grab something to eat," Mr Freitas said.

With this in mind, Mr Freitas came up with the 'Blue light Q-jump scheme' which allows all emergency service workers to skip the line to make sure they don't miss their lunch.

He has been running the scheme for around four months and emergency personnel have been taken aback by the kindness and recognition of their important work. Customers do not seem to mind either, Mr Freitas said: "It could be any one of our loved ones that these people are called out to next."

Mr Freitas now hopes he can encourage other local takeaway businesses to take part in the scheme. The process to join is simple and easy with no registration or paperwork required.

An A5 'Q-jump' sticker has been designed by Mr Freitas to be displayed in shop windows. These will show the store's commitment to participating in the scheme and will let emergency service workers know that they can jump the line to purchase their food as quickly as possible. Mr Freitas hopes to see other local businesses getting involved and will make 10 of these new stickers to distribute to anyone interested in joining the scheme.

Similar ideas have proved successful in other parts of the country. Papa's chip shop in Hull, Yorkshire, implemented an emergency service queue jump policy in 2018. Additionally, a petition was set up in 2017 by a woman form Norfolk to campaign for emergency service queue jumping in cafes and supermarkets.

Anyone interested in taking part in the scheme can contact Mr Freitas via e-mail at: Flitchandchips@gmail.com.