A café and bakery in Orpington High Street has closed down because of a slump in sales.

Writing on social media, Finch House informed customers: "Unfortunately, we have to take the hard decision to close our Orpington and Maidstone stores due to declining sales and increasing costs.

"Thank you for your support – it means a lot."

This loss to the high street comes just days after Starbucks announced it has also closed its Orpington branch.

It thanked customers for their loyalty and said people would have to travel to its nearest store in Beckenham for one of its coffees.

The Orpington 1st Business Improvement District (BID), which represents around 350 companies, said it was disappointed to see Finch House go.

However, it said the high street had made big improvements in the past five years.

Executive director of Orpington 1st, Sharon Baldwin, said: “It is always disappointing to see good quality businesses close. Businesses are facing increasing challenges, ranging from costs to changing customer behaviour and a constant demand for new, improved experiences.

“However, Orpington has a very low vacancy rate, around seven per cent compared to the national average of 11 per cent, and down from a high of 16 per cent five years ago.

“The high street continues to welcome a variety of new businesses on a regular basis, with a new independent café and record shop set to open very shortly.”