THREE fire crews rushed to a Colchester town centre restaurant following a fire in its kitchen.

A fire had broken out in a grill at Roxi, in the High Street, at about 1.30pm yesterday.

Acting sub officer Trevor Hearn, of Colchester fire station, said staff had sensibly covered it with a fire blanket, but they could not put it out, so fire crews used foam to tackle it.

There was little disruption as diners continued eating upstairs.

Owner Margaret El-Sayed said: "We have had a very busy morning and a drip tray caught alight."

The business did not close during the fire drama and is open as normal today.