A popular town centre restaurant and bar is set to close.

The owner of Canopy Bar in Maidstone has announced it will shut its doors just over a year after opening.

The bar opened in the Royal Star Arcade in May last year, after the end of the UK's third lockdown.

However, numerous elements – including the cost of living crisis and issues in the town – led to what owner Alex Smitherman described as a "turbulent time".

The 26-year-old, who also runs the Escape Hub in the town, said the restaurant had spent its lifetime "fighting to stay afloat".

"It has been a mixture of things; the cost of living is just spiralling out of control, with prices going up and people's disposable income going down," he explained.

"Alongside that, Maidstone has taken a few hits, especially with the crime rate as well as how much it costs to park.

"With the recession yet to become official – although for many of us it has already hit – it is going to be a bleak few months, and it just made sense business-wise to call it a day.

"We can leave feeling proud of what we have done, and go out knowing that we have people who liked what we did and will come and see us off."

In a Facebook post on the bar's official page, the Lewes resident confirmed its doors would close for the final time on Sunday, June 26.

He signed off the post with a heartfelt thank you to his staff members and everyone else who supported the bar.

"I'd like to personally say thank you to all the staff that have helped us at the Canopy, the investors for believing in me, my cousin for helping build this place," he added.

"But most importantly, a special thank you to Zoe and Seamie for all the hundreds and thousands of hours you put into making the Canopy what it is, and for being the best partners a guy could ask for."

While plans are not certain, it is thought the unit could be turned into corporate co-working spaces.

Unfortunately for the town, the Canopy is not the first new independent business to shut down recently.

The Moondance bar left its new position in the Lockmeadow Complex in Barker Road less than six months after opening.

The drinkery only moved into the £467,000 food hall in November, but officially closed on April 22.

Thankfully, the hall was buoyed by the arrival of The Kent Drinks Company.

It opened almost immediately afterwards, at the end of April.