A man has been arrested in connection with a crash that saw a car plough into a restaurant.

Just after midnight on Sunday, emergency services were scrambled to Northdown Road in Margate following reports of a silver Ford mounting the pavement and smashing into the shopfront of TY-8.

A 38-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident, but he has since been released on bail pending further investigations.

Police also cordoned off part of the street as a precaution over fears of a possible gas leak due to the damage to the building.

Once the building was made structurally sound, two vehicles were recovered from the scene, which was cleared shortly before 5am.

Posting about the crash on social media, TY-8 bosses said: “We are closed for further notice. Sorry for any inconvenience.”

Customers expressed their shock over the incident, with one responding, "I'm sorry to see this happen. I hope nobody was hurt and restaurant business is restored quickly.”

Another said: “Goodness me, this is awful to see. I’m so sorry.”

The restaurant was boarded up yesterday morning.

In a statement on the incident, police said: “We were called to report a collision involving two vehicles at 12.13am on Sunday.

“Officers attended the scene in Northdown Road, Margate, where damage to a building had also been reported.

“A cordon was set up as a precaution following concerns about a possible gas leak.

“A 38-year-old man was arrested in connection with the collision. He has since been released on bail pending further inquiries.

“Following work to make the gas safe and building assessments by a structural engineer, the two vehicles were recovered, and the scene was clear at about 4.30am.”