A town centre restaurant has closed permanently after shutting suddenly earlier this year.

Burger chain 7Bone confirmed today that its branch in Earl Street, Maidstone, had closed for good, after it shut its doors without warning on Tuesday, July 19, in what was said then to be a temporary closure.

The restaurant, which was next to Zizzi's, had only opened in December last year.

At the time, the burger chain cited staffing shortages as the reason for its closure.

A spokesman said at the time: "This is a temporary closure while we look to rebuild and get the team to a critical mass, so we can continue to operate at a sustainable level.

"We’re looking to rebuild the team as unfortunately the headcount we had did not result in the ability to operate at a sustainable level for the foreseeable future – which was not fair on the team we had, or the customers.

"In parallel to doing this, we will continue to monitor the current restaurant climate in the town.

"When in a position to reopen, the date will be confirmed on our social media channels."

Some of the branch's staff were moved to the chain's Canterbury restaurant.

Now, it has been confirmed that the branch will not reopen, and its page has been removed from the burger chain's website.

A spokesman said: "The recent challenges in our industry have been well documented, and we’ve been particularly affected in our Maidstone restaurant.

"The whole team have been working really hard behind the scenes to find a sustainable solution, but we just couldn’t get there, unfortunately."

The company also confirmed its Eastbourne restaurant has closed for good, while its Northampton branch will reopen today.

Kent customers will still be able to visit the chain's Canterbury restaurant, near the cathedral.