A popular Chinese takeaway has been forced to close its doors 'until further notice' after a water leak caused the ceiling in the kitchen to collapse. 

Sammy's Chinese Takeaway in Highworth shared the bad news in a couple of posts on its Facebook page on Monday, with the owners having just returned from a week-long holiday. 

The owners of the takeaway labelled the post confirming the temporary closure with a 'heartbreak notice'.

In it, they apologised for 'any disappointment or inconvenience this may cause' and said 'we will be back soon'. 

Members of the public responded with well-wishes and shared that they hoped they would be back open soon. 

On August 9, the store was closed so that the owners could go on holiday and was expected to reopen on August 20. 

However, the day before the planned reopening the owners returned from their break to discover a disaster in their kitchen. 

They said: "Rain in the kitchen. This is what we saw in our kitchen last night when we came back from holiday."

The video showed water leaking through the ceiling of the kitchen from above at several points. 

A section of the ceiling had also collapsed, leaving a gaping hole and debris strewn all over the kitchen worktops below. 

The kitchen itself was also starting to flood with a visible build-up of water. 

Then on Monday afternoon, the announcement of the temporary closure came. 

It said: "Heartbreak Notice

"Because the kitchen roof collapsed due to water leakage, we are TEMPORARILY CLOSED for Kitchen Renovation until further notice.

"We apologise for any disappointment or inconvenience this may cause.

"We will be back soon."

Well-wishes were left in the comment section of the Facebook post. 

One person said: "Good luck with the renovation we will see you soon."

Another added: "Hope goes smoothly! You’re the best in Highworth!"

A third person said: "Oh my god I'm so very sorry to see this!! How heartbreaking for you and unfair! We wish you a quick and inexpensive solution and will be back to support your business as soon as you are ready to return to business!"

Sammy’s Chinese Food Takeaway had been inspected by Swindon Borough Council's food hygiene inspectors earlier this year and had achieved the highest possible score of five stars. 

Owners say Sammy's is a family-run takeaway serving Chinese,Thai & Malaysian Cuisine and launched a new menu in March 2024.