Couple ring up £20,000 bill for fish and chips as they travel 60 miles for their favourite lunch every day for a decade

He has been tucking in at his favourite seaside resort every weekday for the last ten years. And he has still managed to shed seven stone.

Together with wife Androniki, the retired restaurateur takes the bus on the 60-mile round trip from their home in Bristol to Weston-super-Mare.

Creatures of habit: Androniki Nicholas and husband Ermis tuck in to fish and chips at Weston-super-Mare

On arrival, rain or shine, they have a coffee and a stroll to soak up the sea air and then decide which of their favourite lunch spots they will visit.

After tucking in they walk for six miles around the resort and along the pier  -  sadly now wrecked by fire  -  before catching the bus home again at 4.30pm.

The Cypriot-born couple have racked up 2,600 visits and 156,000 miles, with the cost of the fish and chips alone running to an estimated £18,200. Thanks to their bus passes,

however, the travel is free. It all began in 1998, when Mr Nicholas suffered a heart attack and was advised by doctors to take a daily walk.

With fond memories of taking their three children to Weston, the couple could think of no better place to begin the new regime.

Pilgrimage: The couple on one of their strolls at the Grand Pier before last month's devastating fire, below

Mr Nicholas's weight had soared to 19 stone while he ran his Bristol restaurant. 'I was given little chance of surviving after I suffered my heart attack but I knew what was wrong with me,' he said.

'I had a belly so big I could balance a pint on it. They had me taking nine tablets every day but they weren't helping me so I stopped taking them and started walking instead. I have never looked back.

'All the fish-and- chip bars in Weston are great so we like to have a change and eat somewhere different every day.' Now 12st, Mr Nicholas says he has never felt better.

As for his wife, he said: 'She can eat whatever she likes and never puts on any weight. As well as our fish and chips, she eats all kinds of sweets and cakes and still only weighs 9st 4lb.'

The couple, who have been married for 45 years, say they have not been away on holiday for more than a decade as they would miss Weston too much.

'Everyone is so friendly, I think it is the best place in the world,' added Mr Nicholas.

'If anyone is recovering from a heart attack I would urge them to get out in the fresh air and do some walking.

'At first I could only stroll a few yards with the help of my wife but I now walk around six miles every day and feel fantastic.

'My grandfather lived until he was 101 and I'm aiming to live even longer.'

Mrs Nicholas, 65, said: 'The walks have given my husband a new lease of life. It's amazing to see him so fit and healthy.

'We owe a big debt to Weston.'

A retired couple have travelled 60 miles for a fish and chip lunch at their favourite seaside resort every day for 10 years - spending nearly £20,000 on the meals.

Every morning Ermis and Androniki Nicholas take two bus rides to Weston-super-Mare from their home in Bristol.

They take a stroll along the promenade before tucking into their fish and chip lunch at any one of the town's seafront restaurants.