A takeaway is floating a new idea - pizza by canoe.

It's been known for its extraordinary deliveries, including to buses and trains, but now Domino’s is trialling a new scheme, so residents along the River Loose can order to their door.

A pizza ‘buoy’ wearing a full wetsuit will paddle the orders to their destination, with special flotation aids in place to ensure all the slices arrive safe and dry.

Manager of the Loose Road store, IIona Paozalyte, said: “We’re really excited to be the first store in the UK tasked with providing a river service.

"Being in an area that is famed for its scenic waterways means the rivers are a big part of the local community so we’re glad we can extend our standard delivery methods to harness the local scenery and ensure we can deliver by land or water to pizza lovers in the area.”

The trial is set to last two weeks and Domino’s is working with local canoe company, Kent Canoes, to help supply and harbour the special delivery vehicles. The firm aims to deliver food within 22 minutes.

The River Loose runs through a small part of the village and is underground for much of its course between Tovil and Loose.

Debbie Hayes, the first person to order a pizza to her riverside home, said: “It’s great living by the river but it has always been impossible to get food delivered to our house so we owe Domino’s a big thank you for allowing us to have a night in."

As part of the trial, Domino’s has committed to a donation to the Loose Conservation Trust to help preserve the village’s waterways.

The new store, which opened last month, has so far served up more than 110,000 slices of pepperoni, used two tonnes of cheese and more than one tonne of tomato sauce.