A high street pizza shop is set to open tomorrow – and is offering free slices to celebrate.

Tops Pizza will be welcoming its first customers when it opens its doors in Ashford at 3pm.

The takeaway will be run by Niaz Jabarkhail, who already runs one outlet of the chain in Maidstone.

It will be opening in the empty unit next to McDonald's which used to host Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shop.

The popular shop had been in the high street for more than a decade but shut permanently in August 2020 due to the pandemic and the lease ending.

Mr Jabarkhail, 31, says he is looking forward to moving in and bringing his pizza to the town.

"Ashford, and Kent as a whole, has given a lot to myself and my family so I am really keen to bring our pizza here," he said.

"The high street has changed a lot over the years but I saw an opening in the market for a takeaway, and so it feels like the best thing to do."

The Charing resident says that like the Maidstone store, the Lower High Street eatery will be open from 11am until late, seven days a week.

To celebrate, the purveyor of Italian food will be throwing a dramatic offer to prospective customers: free pizza for a full three hours when it first opens.

The offer will run from 3pm until 6pm on the opening day, with Mr Jabarkhail hoping it will give residents a chance to taste the food and encourage them to come back.

"I hope a lot of people will take us up on the offer; and more than anything I hope they come back!" he said.