A fine-dining restaurant which shut due to staffing shortages is set to be reopened under new management.

Banks Restaurant, in Minster Road, Minster, Sheerness, only launched at Christmas, but closed earlier this month after advertising for a head chef along with kitchen staff.

Now, the boss of the Abbey Cake Shop in Chapel Street has revealed they have taken over the lease and hope to keep it as a fine-dining establishment.

A post on social media said: "It’s official, I have agreed a lease to take over Banks Restaurant.

"The Abbey Cake Shop will continue as normal - after all that is my baby.

"Please be patient with me I am building my team up to get Banks back open.

"I do not want to rush it as we want to get it right, we will be keeping it as a fine dining restaurant."

Banks opened in November, the culmination of 10 years of work by owner Mark Seabrook to renovate the former Prince of Waterloo pub.

The site can be traced back to 1633 and local legend says it even has a haunted cellar with a secret tunnel linking it to the nearby Minster Abbey church.

It sold English, French and Italian dishes with "flair."

In June, reporter John Nurden visited Sheppey's fine-dining experience for a £40 three-course set menu and was pleasantly surprised.

He said: "It's an impressive open-planned dining area and on the Friday night I visited, not too crowded.

"It was a delight to be able to dine in this kind of style on Sheppey at last. But at these prices, it is definitely one for those special occasions."