A family set to lose their country park café once a council-backed rival opens up have launched a last-ditch effort to stay put.

Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch is backing efforts to save the Leybourne Lakes Café, near Snodland, and has encouraged the owners to start a second petition, asking for permission to continue operating there.

It comes after Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC) approved a scheme for a new lakeside café and watersports facility last October.

The popular park is now being operated by the Tonbridge and Malling Leisure Trust (TMActive) which operates leisure facilities on behalf of the local authority.

However, it means the council cannot grant an additional lease for both cafés to operate.

The existing café’s lease will only run until the new £880,000 facility is open - then it will be forced to close.

The new single-storey building will be located on the north-west corner of the park’s Lake Ocean and sell refreshments all year-round.

It will be funded by the council and developer contributions.

Facilities include a café, changing rooms, toilets, and storage facilities for water sports equipment.

Construction has already started, with plans for it to open between late spring and early summer this year.

However, owners of the Leybourne Lakes Café were "utterly devastated" at the new plans, and started a petition last year which received 3,500 signatures.

In it, they said it was a “disgraceful act by the council to destroy a small family business and profit from their hard work over the last five years”.

But their calls to stay, including the petition, were unsuccessful following a cabinet meeting in February.

While councillors agreed their venue could move to another area of the park, the decision added this would only be “until the opening of the new facilities”.

It went on to note that the current café operators would be considered for any future opportunities in the borough.

The owners have now announced they have decided to launch a second petition to save the café.

The team posted an update on their Facebook page, saying: “After a visit from Tracey Crouch we were advised to try again and respectfully ask TMActive to relocate us in Leybourne Lakes and carry on our very popular sale of hot refreshments to users of the park.”

Millie Hughes, daughter of the owners of the café, said: “We don’t know what we are going to do next, so we have put another petition up to try and relocate over to a different part of the park.

“The locals are absolutely devastated about us leaving, but we have hope that we are going to win this.”

MP Tracey Crouch said: “I have been supporting the café throughout the process and it is a shame that their contract has come to end.

“I suggested one last push with a petition to enable them to operate from elsewhere in the park.

“It is clearly a popular venue and the team are always friendly. Many will be sad to see them go”

The Leybourne Lakes Café is open 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday and 9.30am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday.

Residents are being encouraged to come down to the café to sign the petition.

You can also sign the petition online here.