Members of staff at a McDonald's restaurant in Maidstone have tested positive for coronavirus.

The fast food chain at the Roadchef services near Junction 8 of the M20 closed yesterday for a deep clean overnight while other shops in the vicinity stayed open.

All crew members who were in the restaurant with them have been told to self isolate for two weeks and a new rota of staff was brought in when the restaurant reopened at lunchtime.

A spokesperson from Roadchef said: "Unfortunately, a small number of team members working in McDonald’s at our Maidstone service area have tested positive for COVID-19.

"They are now self-isolating in accordance with government guidelines, while colleagues they have been in contact with are also self-isolating as a precaution.

"As soon as we were made aware of this issue, we swiftly closed McDonald’s and implemented our robust coronavirus response procedures, as well as informing Public Health England (PHE).

“We continue to work closely with PHE who are supporting us in our response.

"A small number of our brands have remained open while we conducted a precautionary, significant anti-viral deep clean of the unit overnight, and we expect to reopen McDonald’s, with a completely different rota of team members, today.

"We are taking every precaution to protect our colleagues and customers, and we have strict social distancing policies to minimise the risk of potential outbreaks across our business.

"Roadchef will continue to support those who are now isolating and wish them a speedy recovery.

“This year has clearly been a challenging time for the country and with the support of our primary health authority, we have continued to operate under Covid secure practices throughout the national and regional lockdowns as an essential business.

"It is important that motorway service areas remain open as a vital place for motorists and key workers such as HGV drivers to stop and take a break, to ensure the safety of the roads.”

Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone