A chef has opened his first restaurant in Ashford, filling an empty unit in the town centre.

Owner Shekhrul Alom says he is excited to bring new flavours to the town at his new Spice of India eatery at the bottom of Bank Street.

The site, which offers a takeaway service, has opened underneath Trafalgar House opposite the abandoned three-storey Debenhams store.

Mr Alom said: "We had our opening day on Monday and were open until about 11.30pm, it was very busy.

"I'm running a 30% discount and I'm very happy at how the food has been received so far."

The 33-year-old had previously worked as head chef at Singleton Tandoori for a decade, but says he had always wanted to open his own restaurant in the town.

"I like Ashford, I’ve always lived here, and after working at the tandoori since 2012 I wanted to open my own place," he explained.

The Spice of India is the latest restaurant to open in Bank Street, which has seen a number of changes in recent months.

The eatery is located in a row of units next to the Global Bullion Vault, which also includes TK's Fish and Chips and Fireaway – two units that both opened late last year.

On the opposite side the road, the former RJ's American Diner site has been filled by the Sky Restaurant.

And Koko Barbers, which already has a base in Castle Street, is set to open another site in Ashford, taking an empty unit next to County Square.

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford