Owners of an historic pub damaged in a fire have announced their planned reopening date.

The Chequers Inn in Aylesford High Street has been closed since it was gutted by a fire in May but bosses hope to welcome customers back next month.

In a Facebook post, the 500-year-old pub's management announced the venue would officially reopen on Wednesday, February 1, saying: "It's the news you've all been waiting for!

"Bookings will be open very soon as well as job applications so please keep your eyes peeled."

On Saturday, it was revealed in a post that recruitment had begun for various roles including managers, runners and chefs, with any hopeful applicants required to be able to start at the end of January.

One excited customer commented: "Can’t wait miss this place so much literally my favourite pub ever cannot speak highly enough of this place."

Another said: "Wonderful news!! Missed my Friday evenings at the Chequers!!"

A third said: "Best news I've had all day".

The pub is one of four under the same ownership, the others being The Hengist in Aylesford, The Walnut Tree in Yalding, and the recently opened Amherst Inn in Seal Chart, Sevenoaks.

Eight fire engines were sent to the blaze in the early hours of May 22 last year, after first receiving a call at 3.48am.

People living near the riverside pub were asked to close their windows and doors due to the large amount of smoke from the fire.

Repair work began in July, and due to the pub's Grade II listing, repairs have had to be made using original materials to keep the building's history.

The entire pub was stripped out for a blast clean and the burnt beams were replaced with 16th Century oak beams.

Many of the tiles were salvaged after the fire to put back on the roof, with reclaimed Kent peg tiles used for the remainder.

Part of the road outside the pub was closed from July until late September in order to complete repairs on the listed building.