The owners of Sheppey’s first micropub have toasted its grand opening.

The Heritage, in Halfway, welcomed members of the public for a couple of hours on Friday and it attracted 57 customers. The next day, a steady stream of about 16 to 17 people were there at any given time.

Melvin Hopper, who co-owns the pub with his wife Margaret, said: “It was a fabulous weekend from the opening right up to the end. It was better than we had hoped.

“It was absolutely heaving. People liked the beers, they liked the concept of having a chat and a drink without the disturbance of music or TV and we have had a lot of return customers.

“I feel a sense of achievement of what we have done over the last three months.”

He added clearing up and final touches of paint were still being carried out an hour before the venue opened and he thanked Island firm MartMate for their work during the refurbishment.

The site, in Minster Road, was previously a post office.

The micropub’s name stems from the fact that Mrs Hopper is a distant relative of the well-known Charrington brewery family.