A Sheppey cafe owner who was sleeping in the cellar of his tea room and skipping meals to afford his bills says his business has been saved thanks to the generosity of strangers.

Stephen Jackson, 62, explained the desperate measures needed to keep Jacksonwood tea rooms in Sheerness High Street afloat during a phone-in on national radio.

He said trade had dropped by half because of the cost of living crisis.

But after news of the cafe’s possible closure spread, the stunned shopkeeper has become inundated with new customers, unexpected donations from strangers and offers of help from across the country.

As he experienced his busiest day in four years, he said: “I just didn’t want to lose a business. I had built it up from scratch."

But he admitted: "I didn’t expect people to be so generous. I am so overwhelmed. I can’t believe it.

“I’m a little embarrassed. I really wasn’t asking people for money. I know I said I was concerned about finding the rent for the shop but I didn’t do it for sympathy.

"I just didn’t want to lose a business I had built up from scratch. I didn’t expect people to be so generous. I am so overwhelmed. I can’t believe it."

He said one woman had insisted on leaving an envelope on the counter with £150 in it and that morning he had received a letter with a £100 cheque.

He added: “A company has offered to supply me with free coffee and a student from Leeds asked if he could start a gofundme page for me. ”

Mr Jackson told listeners to the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2 that he was saving cash by kipping down on blankets in the basement of his shop.

He warned he might have to close the quirky café because he wouldn’t be able to heat it and admitted he was going without meals to keep up with his bills.

“It’s because of the cost of living increases,” he explained. “Sleeping in the cellar saves me the cost of the fuel driving home to Teynham every night. It’s a 24-mile round trip.”

After the story was followed up by the BBC's TV regional news programme South East Today he became inundated with offers of help and an influx of new customers.

He said: “I couldn’t believe the power of the media. The day after, my shop was jam-packed. In fact, it was the busiest it has been since I opened four years ago. It was the best day by far.”

But as he struggled to keep up with orders, firefighters came knocking at his door.

He said: “They said they’d seen me on TV and while I was in the middle of working my socks off they paid me a visit and told me I couldn’t sleep on the premises because it was a fire risk. So now I’m driving back home at night.”

He said it had all begun with a phone call to Jeremy Vine.

“I don’t know why, but the programme often rings me when they want to know about the state of the country’s high streets. I just told him I was trying to save money and had had to let some of my staff go.”

Since then, he has been showered with offers of free help despite posting a bizarre advert on social media for non-smokers who mustn’t swear.

Pay is £2 an hour while waiting at home “on call” and “£10 cash” while in the shop. Those who speak with an “English accent” are preferred. If they sound like Sean Connery they get an extra £1 an hour and £2 an hour “if they speak like Joanna Lumley”.

After a record-breaking weekend, Mr Jackson closed his shop this week to move the kitchen to make way for more tables. It is due to reopen tomorrow (Thursday).

A spokeswoman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: "One of our building safety officers visited a commercial premises in Sheerness High Street on May 27.

"There was no evidence of sleeping found at the property.

"For fire safety reasons, business owners are generally advised against sleeping within commercial premises if they are not designed for sleeping accommodation."