A pub and carvery which has been described as the heart of its village is set to reopen after a £350,000 refurbishment.

The Neptune in Dymchurch has been closed since January 2 while major work goes on to improve the interior after being taken over by Park Holidays.

It will welcome back customers on Saturday, February 25.

Park Holidays general manager, Ant Comber, said: "The Neptune has been the heart of Dymchurch for quite a while and it just needed some love really.

"As a business, Park Holidays has decided to invest in the Neptune for both our holiday makers and the people who live nearby.

"We want to service the local community more and bring an offer to Dymchurch and we believe we are a bit different.

"As a company Park Holidays are in a strong position and are investing to improve our facilities across our holiday parks and businesses attached to them like the Neptune."

He added the upgrades at the site aim to improve the businesses' standards and give people a greater experience.

"We understand that the leisure spend is going to get more and more important to people as we're in this cost of living crisis," Mr Comber said.

"We want to make environment to people that want to spend their money, as good as possible and as attractive as we can.

"This is also why we want to upgrade our service styles so that we are delivering a product that is true value for money.

"If you're going out, you want to have a great time in a great environment, and that's what we are trying to achieve not only at Neptune but at Park Holidays in general.

"In the middle of a cost of living crisis the company is investing a significant amount of money on a quality product for the local area.

"It's not just the holiday makers who go to the holiday park who can enjoy it, it is an outlet for everybody."

Over a quarter of a million pounds has been invested in the pub.

"£350,000 has been spent on redeveloping the pub to a 175 seater full service restaurant with a carvery," Mr Comber said.

"We're also looking into offering a Gastro pub menu but this hasn't been finalised yet.

"It will look really good when it's finished.

"We are still recruiting for chefs and waiting team members, and we expect to have 50 staff joining the business."

The upgrade will also see a new QR code ordering system made available as well as new areas to sit and enjoy a drink inside and outside.

Mr Comber said: "It's not actually a lot bigger, we are just maximising the layout of the restaurant to make it a better environment.

"There are booth pods for families and big tables to accommodate larger parties too, there is a lovely conservatory, areas for people to have private functions and a new outdoor decking area.

"The biggest change other than decor is the introduction of full service and creating a better service environment for our customers.

"Previously we were very much a carvery. We are keeping the carvery and rotisserie but we're also putting a Gastro pub element in there as well so there will be lots of different options like vegan options."