A restaurant which was badly damaged by a fire in January has reopened its doors.

The Royal Spice on the A28 at Bethersden served more than 60 diners last week in what owner Anhar Ali described as a “fantastic opening night.”

The restaurant, which specialises in Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine, closed its doors following the fire, which damaged one room and led to 30 customers being evacuated.

Mr Ali said: “It’s been 10 months of a lot of hard work.

“I have spent a lot of money working with the fire authority and conservation people.

“It is listed building and dates from 1665.”

The cause of January’s fire is not known.

“It was combustible material,” said Mr Ali. “We can’t say it was a cigarette, it could have been a iron or some kind of container.”

The Royal Spice can be contacted on 01233 820800.