A new Andover takeaway has opened ahead of schedule as it promises to bring new flavours to residents.

Fireaway Pizza, based at 8 Bridge Street, opened yesterday (June 3) with the ribbon cut by St Mary’s Ward councillor for Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC). It will be open from noon to 11pm seven days a week, with orders available from the store and through various services.

Speaking to the Advertiser, Cllr Andersen said: “I just think it’s absolutely great to see another business wanting to open in our town. We should support all our businesses in Andover and it’s something people should take up.

“I think Fireaway’s concept is different to what we have in town already, you can see through the shop and into the oven and what’s happening inside. I can’t wait to taste it for my weekly takeaway!”

Fireaway Pizza was founded in London in 2016, and has since undergone rapid growth as stores open across the country, primarily in the south east but also as far afield as Scotland. This year, it aims to double its number of stores in the UK.

Fireaway specialises in having a fire oven in all of its stores, which can make pizzas in as little as three minutes.

A spokesperson for the company told the Advertiser that it “feels good” to open, with the opening date having been brought forward from July.

They said: “Fireaway Pizza will bring a difference in taste. Most crucially, we make our dough fresh, so that our customers get fresh pizza, which is a lovely feeling for us. You don’t want to miss the taste of this!”

He said that getting the shop ready in lockdown had been difficult, but that the firm was determined to open the new branch.

“It’s been challenging to get the shop ready without a doubt,” he said. “We did a lot of work with the project team and had plenty of support from head office.”