RADCLIFFE's Charles Burns has been fired from The Apprentice.

The entrepreneur was booted off the show in a shock triple firing, alongside Andrew Brady and Anita Topan, after losing this week's task.

The teams used their pooch-pampering skills in an attempt to run their own canine service businesses, competing for the opportunity to run either a dog spa or a canine agility class for the day from an established grooming salon.

Despite finally getting his wish to be project manager, Charles was unable to steer team Vitality to victory over team Graphene headed by James White.

Alongside Michaela Wain and Jade English, Charles battled with running the canine spa, struggling to finish on time, while his sub-team tried to stage the perfect pedigree photoshoot.

Charles said: "We ended up losing the task and the main reason is that the other team won through fluke and accident.

"By getting the agility class they got more customers and they won the task based on extra sales.

"The other team were forced to give refunds, but by over-charging and not getting the dog spa they ended up winning the task.

"There are a lot of people in the process with not that many weeks left so it was inevitable that there would be a double firing."

Charles, however, was sanguine about his firing, saying the show had been a great experience before adding: "The positives I will take are that I got this far in the process, and the fact that Lord Sugar could have got rid of me earlier on, he obviously saw something in me and my business plan that he liked.

"I'm quite glad in some respects because I didn't want to give away any equity.

"At the end of the day the £250,000 is not really what I wanted.

"Of course I wanted to have Lord Sugar's involvement and credibility in my business but having said that it is a lot of equity to give away."

Next year Charles will be looking to put his business plan into to action and launch a new company based on his experience in the luxury watch market.

This year his focus will be helping his family business, Kays Jewellers, which is celebrating 120 years this year.