FOUR butcher shops were saved from closure when a well-known county firm took them on.

Thirty new jobs will be created from the move by J C Rook and Sons to take over the shops from Dewhurst chain, which went into administration last month.

One of the shops to be taken on is the firm’s former headquarters in Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells. Rooks has also taken on Dewhurst in Gillingham as a going concern, keeping the staff there, and will reopen closed stores in Sheerness and Chatham.

The traditional family-run firm, which has been trading in Kent for more than 40 years, has a base in the Chequers Centre, Maidstone, from where it is to run its home delivery service.

The move brings the firm’s number of shops to 17 countywide.

Managing director Chris Rook said: "It’s an exciting time for Rooks and we are committed to providing customers with fresh local Kentish meats and produce."