A pub has been forced to close for the third time in two years after its licensees decided to call it quits.

Vesta Pubs announced it was leaving The Angel, in Rainham, last week after only seven months at the helm.

In a statement, the pub management firm said: “Some of you may have noticed that The Angel is currently closed. This is due to the fact that we are in the process of handing it back to the pub group.

“We have heard there are some new people coming in in a couple of weeks so fingers crossed it will not be closed for too long.

“We have had a fantastic time here and have met some wonderful people and made some fantastic friends.

“We wanted to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to everyone that has supported us, as a family though we have made the decision to walk away from The Angel.

“We wish you all the absolute very best, this is not an easy decision but unfortunately it is a very necessary one. Thanks again.”

Directors of Vesta Pubs, Emma Hawney, Stephanie Cherry and Malcolm Collins, took over The Angel in March after it underwent a £185,000 refurbishment.

The team hoped to change its reputation and speaking at the time Malcolm said: “We want to bring a family-friendly pub to the community where people feel welcome and safe.

“We have been scratching at the bit to open the doors. We are as excited as the community and we think people are looking forward to it.”

The pub, on the corner of Station Road and Lower Rainham Road, had been empty for around nine months before the trio took over after its former bosses left.

It had been taken over by David Carroll and partner Emma Smith in December 2022 after predecessor Stuart Hart came to the end of his tenancy.

However, the pair had left the pub by May last year and Admiral Taverns, which owns the public house, started looking for new landlords.

Rumours were rife in the community about its future until it reopened on March 1 with Vesta Pubs behind the bar.

The full circumstances surrounding the firm’s departure has not been shared publicly and it declined to comment further when contacted by KentOnline.

The Angel is now closed but the business development manager at Admiral Taverns, Paul Gornall, said work is ongoing to reopen it.

He added: “We take great pride in helping our licensees run sustainable businesses, however, in this instance, the licensee took the decision to leave the business.

“We are in advanced talks with a passionate prospective licensee and are working extremely hard to reopen the pub as soon as possible."