A FISH and chip shop duo are hoping to bring a splash of adrenaline to Dovercourt by opening an escape room.

Sam and Glen Hensey have been given the go-ahead by Tendring Council to run an interactive puzzle experience at a former shop in High Street, Dovercourt.

Sam, 44, who runs Skippers Fish and Chips, in Parkeston, with her husband Glen, 43, said the proposal involves teams of two to six people solving clues and puzzles to find their way out of the room within an hour.

The idea is to open one room downstairs and then a second on the first floor with the business operating from 8am to 10pm daily.

Sam said: “We have run the fish and chip shop for about eight years and I thought we needed a change although we will still be running the shop.

“We have done escape rooms abroad in Spain and really enjoyed it and then we went to America and did one there.

“They seem very popular in Colchester and Ipswich but there is nothing like one in Tendring and we thought it would be an ideal place to set one up.”

The mum-of-two said it is a great teambuilding exercise and a good achievement when you manage to solve the puzzles to get out of the room in time.

She said: “There are some quite high tech puzzles, like solving different types of maths problems.

“There will be all sorts but we don’t want to give too much away.”

Sam will be able to watch the teams on CCTV cameras so players can ask for clues or help if they are stuck with a puzzle.

She said: “There is nothing like this in the town and I think it will help the town and be something for the people of Harwich.”

Tendring Council decided any impact in terms of noise will be minimal and there is plenty of parking available in the area.

A Tendring Council spokesman said: “While the council would not normally support this type of use in a retail unit, the scheme will create a brand new leisure facility unique to the town as well as the district.”

For more information, go to harwichescape.co.uk.