Work is under way on creating a new Premier Inn.

The 115-bed hotel is being constructed on the site of Merevale House, formerly the town's County and Family Courts in London Road, Tunbridge Wells.

It will include an in-house Thyme restaurant.

The old building is not being completely demolished, rather the concrete frame is being retained and the new hotel built around it.

No exact date has yet been set for the opening, but the firm is busy recruiting the 25 to 30 staff it expects to employ and is hoping for an autumn start.

There will be little parking, with guests expected to use the nearby Torrington car park.

The building is being designed to reflect Tweedale Terrace, the Edwardian building that stood on the site until the 1970s when Merevale House was built.

Premier Inn is also looking to expand its existing hotels in Dartford and Ashford.

The 120-bed Dartford Premier Inn in the Bridge Business Park is set to get another 45 bedrooms, while the 74-bed Premier Inn in Ashford's Eureka Park is to get another 18 bedrooms.

Read more: All the latest news from Tunbridge Wells