A popular town centre bakery is set to close for good, despite the owners' efforts to turn things around following a zero hygiene rating.

The family behind Bayked in Richmond Street, Herne Bay, say they "deeply regret letting the standards slide" after an inspector found ants and flies on food.

Following a re-inspection, the business has since been given a four-star hygiene rating - but the family behind it say they still plan to close when all remaining stock has been sold.

Writing on Facebook, they said: “First and foremost, we want to apologise. It is unforgivable and we deeply regret letting the standards slide.

“We want to be clear and say that as soon as it came to our attention, the risks of contamination our shop faced, [...] we were appalled and devastated and took immediate action to voluntarily close the shop.

“We worked hard to get the shop back up to scratch.

“Every nook and cranny was checked and scrubbed, [as we] continuously worked with the council to ensure the shop was safe to open.

“Only then did we allow customers back in. We had been expecting our follow-up report within the coming weeks.”

A previous report following an inspection in July described how a city council inspector was left “very concerned” about the cleanliness of the premises, giving it a hygiene rating of zero, the lowest score possible.

Last week, the Gazette reported local authority bosses were satisfied the “necessary improvements had been made”, and this week, it was confirmed they had received the vastly-improved score.

The social media post shared by Bayked - which launched two years ago - continued: "What started as a small passion project, [...] grew into something we could have never imagined," the post adds.

"We have been overwhelmed by your love and support.

"Knowing people loved our bakes made every stressful day of navigating a business worth it.

"The bakery was a fantastic addition to what Herne Bay has to offer and we'll miss it hugely..."

"This was all new to us, and we are only human. The good memories outweigh the hardships."

The announcement of its closure has attracted dozens of supportive messages from loyal customers.

One person described the bakery as "such a nice addition to the town", while another noted: "Gutted to read this.

"I’m pretty sure the community would rally behind you as you sorted things out.

"You're an asset to the community and will be missed."

In the report detailing their visit to the premises two months ago, the inspector raised concerns about the "condition and cleanliness of the premises".

"The food is at risk of physical contamination from the building where a door has been created," it continued.

"There are flies and ants in the premises and on the food.

"Food is out of temperature control, both on display and in the fridges."

Inspectors also raised concerns about the toilets as well as the cleanliness of food equipment and washing facilities - which were all found to be unsatisfactory - following their visit.

City council spokesman Leo Whitlock said last week the assessors "highlighted a number of issues that needed to be addressed" after their visit two months ago, prompting the business to temporarily close voluntarily.

"It reopened once our team was satisfied the necessary improvements had been made," he said.