BRITAIN should introduce one year “vindaloo visas” to save the nation’s curry houses, ex-Business Secretary Sir Vince Cable demanded tonight.

It was a key pledge by the Vote Leave campaign during the EU referendum - and the europhile Lib Dem boss used a speech at the British Curry Awards to back the move to let in more skilled South Asian chefs.

2 British curries are under threat due to a shortage of chefs Credit: Getty Images

Curry restaurants are closing at a rate of four a week in the UK. And experts warn that half of all Indian restaurants - 6,000 - will be shut within 10 years.

Ex-Cabinet minister Priti Patel led the “Save our Curry Houses” campaign ahead of the EU vote - blaming the decline of restaurants on our biased immigration system that caps the number of workers from outside the EU due to the open borders policy for EU nationals.

Jumping on the campaign last night, Sir Vince called on the Government to consider issuing temporary one-year to South Asian chefs to help solve the curry crisis.

Last year the industry sent a 75-page study to Theresa May when she was Home Secretary calling for the so-called “vindaloo visas”.

2 Vince Cable said he wants to introduce special visas for curry chefs Credit: Rex Features

Author Enam Ali suggested they be tightly controlled, with no out-of-work benefits, to avoid the repeat of abuses witnessed with previous temporary visa schemes.

At the British Curry Awards tonight Sir Vince said:: “If there was ever any doubt beforehand, the shortage of curry chefs is now a crisis."

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"The government received excellent suggestions on how to solve this problem over 18 months ago, but this well-researched 75-page document has sadly gone ignored.

"Theresa May must revisit these proposals, which include a tightly controlled, one-year work visa, so that our curry restaurants can bring expert chefs to the UK and to train the next generation of curry cooks.”

"We need more urgent measures, including what has been dubbed a ‘vindaloo visa’, to save the nation’s favourite cuisine.”