A pharmacy that had to close two years ago after a fire broke out in a pub next door and spread before destroying its roof has reopened.

Pender Pharmacy opened its doors in Gravesend High Street this month having been forced to relocate from nearby Milton Road where the blaze, believed to have been caused by an electrical fault, occurred at the New Inn pub in May 2022.

Nobody was hurt but the pub was a listed building and thought to date back to the 17^th century.

After the fire, the pharmacy relocated to Gravesend Medical Centre before pharmacist Stephen Kane decided to move it to Gravesend High Street so it could provide services including blood pressure checks, contraception and vaccinations.

According to Kent Online, Kane secured the new site on the high street in August last year but struggled to get an NHS contract. However, having secured one and reopened, he insisted it will “make a real impact.”

“We would not have been able to do everything we wanted to in the surgery,” he told Kent Online.

“It has been a big investment but we really wanted to be fit for purpose and I think what we have come up with is right. It is really a positive for the town centre.

“It will improve the health care provision and bring more footfall to the High Street. It is fantastic. It is really good to have premises back in the community.”