A town centre bingo hall is closing its doors after almost half a century calling the numbers.

Mecca Bingo, in Sittingbourne High Street, has announced the venue is to close in August.

In a statement, the company said: "We’re very sad to confirm that Mecca Sittingbourne will be closing, and we want to say a huge thank you to every single one of our incredible customers for their loyalty and support for the last 48 years.

"Please bear with us while we all adjust to the news, but feel free to pop in and have a chat.

"We’ll keep you updated on Facebook on what our plans are for the coming weeks and when we have a confirmed closing date in August."

The UK-based company operates 76 bingo clubs across major towns and cities.

Since opening in the 1970s, Sittingbourne's Mecca Bingo – occupying the same building as a cinema which opened in 1937 – has offered a range of games, slot machines, live entertainment, food and drinks to many customers.

In 2002 one lucky player even walked away with more than £110,000.

The grandad from Sheppey, who wished to keep his name a secret, scored a full house of 42 numbers which saw him win £64 in the club, plus a regional prize of £2,144 and the national prize of £108,170.

Mecca in Sittingbourne is the latest in a number of bingo halls to shut in Kent in recent years.

Last year, the Buzz Bingo club in Chatham, which had a chequered past, closed and last month plans were revealed for it to be replaced by housing.

Ashford council is looking to redevelop the town's former Mecca bingo hall in the High Street – which, like the Sittingbourne venue, also opened as an Odeon cinema in the 1930s – having bought the site in 2018.

Meanwhile, members at the Beacon Bingo club in Margate were shocked by the closure in 2019 and rallied around in a last-gasp attempt to convince company bosses to retain the club.

However, it hasn't always been smooth sailing for the hall and its players.

In 2016 the venue's roof canopy collapsed due to pigeon waste.

And just a few years later, like many other businesses, it was heavily impacted by the pandemic.

The company had to shut its doors until July 2020, when it reopened with cleaning rotas and safety measures to keep staff and players safe.

John Dyson, operations director at Mecca Bingo, said: “We’re sad to confirm that our Mecca club in Sittingbourne will be closing on Sunday, August 14.

"It’s a tough decision to say goodbye, but one we’ve reluctantly had to make because the lease on the site is ending.

"Mecca has been a part of the local community for nearly 50 years, and we want to say a huge thank you to every single one of our incredible customers – our team will miss you very much.

"Mecca has been bringing people together and creating special moments both in our clubs and online for since 1961 and we hope we will see you again in our other venues and online chat room community at meccabingo.com.”