A pub has responded to claims a 94-year-old war veteran was kicked out because his wheelchair was taking up too much room.

A merchant navy veteran was at the George and Dragon in Headcorn for a post Remembrance Sunday tipple at around 11.20am.

Wild rumours and claims on social media since then have suggested the pensioner was told to leave because he was taking up too much room, but this is not true.

The man's family has also said the pub were never rude to the party of eight and the landlord never ordered they leave.

A pub worker said: "We had the back door to the outside closed because we didn't want smokers going backwards and forwards through the pub.

"The pub started to fill up and people came in for coffees and something to eat.

"We were trying to look after the man. We didn't want him there with people passing him."

A family member of the man said they do not intend to return to the pub following Sunday's ordeal.

However, they admitted they were dismayed by the way people had interpreted the incident on Facebook.

They said: "We went into the George and Dragon and obviously the bar was full and we wheeled him in there.

"The lady came out and said we couldn't stay where we were. We wheeled him somewhere else and she said we couldn't stay there either.

"We just wanted to stand in there having a sherry and we said we would stand in the hallway but they said he was in the way.

"They never threw us out and they weren't nasty to us. Wherever we put dad he was in the way basically."

Locals in Hawkhurst took to Facebook last week to to complain after two poppies were covered with promotions for a local Countryside housing development.

A spokesperson from the housing group said: "As soon as the misplaced signs were brought to our attention, our signage contractor removed them immediately.

"We are truly sorry for any distress caused by this. It was not our intention to have them installed over the poppies or on the same lampposts."