A new bistro restaurant has been forced to close its kitchen only days after opening. 

Salt & Sage welcomed customers on May 5 but disaster struck three days later after a serious drainage problem emerged.

The kitchen at the restaurant in West Street, Fareham, has remained closed since then. 

But following successful repairs, the kitchen will be fully operational on Monday, May 12, and customers can still enjoy coffee and cakes in the meantime. 

Co-owner Luke Wainwright says he and his wife made the decision to close the kitchen because they "wanted to do everything right."

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He said: "Everything has been going really well except the maintenance issue on Thursday morning.

"I had to close the kitchen. We want to do everything right the first time and couldn't have food being prepared without it.

"The support from everybody has been great, but it is not what you want as a new business.

"This could have been crippling, but we are determined to do things right and be a success."

Mr Wainwright adds that the blockage meant that they had to throw away 90 per cent of their food orders since the blockage, but will be fully stocked and ready to open on Monday.

Salt & Sage is located outside Fareham Shopping Centre  in the site formerly occupied by Three Joes Sourdough Pizza, which closed in April 2023.