A CHEF trained at a top London restaurant has battled back from a climbing accident that nearly ended his career.

Chris Dobson, 36, of Accrington, was out of work for nearly six years after he fractured his leg in a fall.

The father of two had been free climbing -- without ropes -- at one of his favourite spots near Todmorden when he slipped and fell 10ft.

He had been mastering the art of 'bouldering', which involves working out demanding technical routes up difficult rock faces, but will now never climb again.

He has had to call time on his hobby after his fracture lead to a bone infection and his leg was shortened to enable him to walk.

Chris will have a limp for the rest of his life and still feels pain after a full day on his feet -- but he insists his kitchen skills are still in tip top shape.

Since June, Chris has been getting his culinary muscles back to full strength at Blackburn Cathedral's newly refurbished Cafe in the Crypt. Before his accident, he ran the pastry section in the elite London Chez Nico restaurant and his speciality cakes are among new attractions at the Cathedral.

Chris said: "I worked in Accrington cafe Soup in Warner Street for a while after the accident but this is my first major project since.

"I want to bring a more up-market flavour. I also want to change our clientele. At the moment it is mainly elderly customers, who we want to keep happy, but we want to attract the younger ones.

"Everything is being made fresh daily, that's what I've been trained to do, making things from scratch."

Chris's wife Deborah and his children Arran, five, and two-year-old Marco have made him promise to never attempt a climb again.

Chris said: "I think I would be a divorced man if I put them through that again."