WILTSHIRE'S chippies have taken in a battering in a national competition highlighting the best in the business.

Earlier this week the the organisers of the 2017 National Fish & Chip Awards announced the finalists of the contest.

But there were no fish and chip shops from Wiltshire, or Swindon, to be found in the top spots of the Wiltshire, Dorset and Avon category.

They were instead awarded to Ashley’s Fish and Chips in Bournemouth, Bennett's on the Waterfront in Weymouth and Bishopston Fish Bar in Bristol.

The National Fish & Chip Awards are recognised as one of the most prominent and respected seafood industry events in the UK. They celebrate the great British tradition of fish and chips, recognising the best talent, quality and choice offered by fish and chip businesses through 13 different award categories.

Stargazy Fish Bar in Tetbury has been named as one of the UK’s top 10 fledging fish and chip shops and will now fry for glory against nine other new businesses around the country, outside of Wiltshire and Swindon.

Over the coming weeks, the shortlisted business will be subjected to mystery shopping assessments by industry experts, evaluating both product quality and customer service levels.

This next stage of the competition will whittle down the top 10, forming the UK’s top three finalists that will go on to compete for the top accolade at the 2017 awards ceremony.