A cafe owner has been fined more than £5,000 after a catering apprentice was badly burned by hot fat and suffered permanent scarring.

Rebecca Wallace, 20, an apprentice who had been at Foxy’s Finest cafe in Salford for nine months, was cleaning when a deep fat fryer containing hot oil fell from a worktop, splashing her legs and feet.

She slipped on the oil and sat down in it, causing further burns.

Owner Denise Fox was fined £2,500 by Manchester magistrates’ court and ordered to pay £2,767 in costs at a hearing on Wednesday.

She admitted breaching health and safety at work regulations by failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of her employees.

Ms Wallace spent three weeks in hospital and has not returned to the cafe.