A takeaway that was forced to close after suffering a collapsed kitchen ceiling is working to reopen. 

The owners of Sammy's Chinese Takeaway in Highworth had been on holiday but returned to find that their restaurant was flooded and the ceiling had collapsed in the kitchen. 

The business was forced to temporarily close, but regular updates have been provided since showing that work is well underway to repair the damage and reopen as soon as possible. 

A spokesperson for the business said: "On the first day of construction, everything was cleared. The wall is still very wet and must be dehumidified before proceeding to the next step."

A week later things had progressed well, according to them. 

(Image: Google Maps)

They added: "The walls are done tiled, and next week will start repairing the floor and painting the ceiling.

"The decoration team is awesome, I'm sure we'll be back soon"

Pictures show that the kitchen has been completely stripped out and is now slowly starting to retake shape. 

Work started on August 23, with a hoped estimated time of three weeks before the venue might be able to reopen. 

The bad news of the takeaways closure was shared on Monday, August 19, with the owners having just returned from a week-long holiday. 

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

This was accompanied by a video that 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. 

This was followed by the closure announcement.  

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."

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.