The former ABC cinema site branded as the "grot spot" of Tunbridge Wells is in the final stages of demolition.

The site on the corner of Mount Pleasant Road and Church Road has been an eyesore for residents since it closed in 2000 and concerns began to mount about the lack of action.

Demolition work began in July after Tunbridge Wells Borough Council chiefs voted to take legal actions against the owners and issued a Section 215 notice, meaning they could have been forced to demolish the building if work did not begin before.

This week diggers arrived to remove a brick structure and the owners - joint freeholders Carlyle Group and Bellhouse Joseph - said they are ahead of schedule and pleased with the progress being made.

Soft stripping of the buildings and deconstruction of an old doctor's surgery and a house which stood a little way away began in July.

It is thought the site should be cleared and levelled by early to mid October, but the companies are yet to come to a decision about the future of the plot.