THE owner of a new café in Halliwell has soothed fears after fire crews were called to the premises.

Imy Patel, who opened Desi Nashta in Halliwell Road just four days ago, said there was "a false alarm" this afternoon.

Two fire engines from Bolton were called to the scene at about 2.20pm after oil in a pan set off the smoke alarms.

No one was injured.

Mr Patel said: "It was a false alarm.

"One of the chapatis was left on the pan for a little while. It set the smoke alarms off and someone called the fire brigade. It only created a little bit of smoke.

"There were still customers eating when the fire service arrived. We are still trading. No one was evacuated."

Crews attended the scene and helped to ventilate the property.

Mr Patel said that business at Desi Nashta has been going well since the venue opened on Friday.

He said: "We have received some great feedback from the community so far. I'm so happy."

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: “Crews used a positive pressure ventilation fan to clear the smoke from the premises.

“We sent two engines from Bolton to the incident.

“The fire began in the kitchen on the ground floor of the commercial property. It was out on our arrival.”

Desi Nashta is a new café and restaurant providing a “back-home style” Indian breakfast, according to supervisor Irfan Nekiwala.

The venue was formerly a gym, used by world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury until about one year ago.