The Island’s top hotel has been forced to close due to financial difficulty.

The Shurland Hotel, in High Street, Easthchurch, shut its doors on Friday when workers were sent home and a sign displayed saying it was closed until further notice.

Attempts to contact the owners have been unsuccessful, but appointed insolvency practitioner Devdutt Patel confirmed the closure.

He said: “The Shurland Hotel has ceased to trade through insolvency and a meeting with creditors is due to take place on August 5.

“After advise from the accountants, the owners felt the best course of action was to close down.”

The news has come as a major blow to one couple who say they have been left heartbroken after being informed their diamond wedding celebrations would be cancelled – just 24 hours before they were due to take place.

Frederick and Pamela Hall, of St Mary’s Row, Minster, were due to have a reception to celebrate 60 years of marriage at the hotel on Saturday, but received a phone call on Friday to tell them it had to be cancelled. They are awaiting a refund of their £117 deposit.

Mr Hall said: “We kept in fairly regular contact with the hotel with visits and letters and a week ago I was assured there was nothing to worry about.

“We got a phone call on Friday but by that stage, our 20 guests were coming at any rate and some of them had come a long distance and bought new clothes and all that money is down the pan.

“It’s once in a lifetime and we don’t get a second go at it and it isn’t easy to get everyone together on one day.”

The 17-bedroom hotel was regularly used as a wedding venue – there is also a fitness centre at the hotel as well as the popular bar.

Eastchurch Parish Council had booked out all of the rooms for next year’s flight centenary events, but Cllr Andy Booth is not too concerned.

He said: “We all hope the hotel gets taken over again but as far as our event is concerned it will not affect us.

“We had an agreement with the hotel that the rooms would be kept available for us so the quicker somebody gets back in there, the better for the village.”