A WINCHESTER restaurant has closed down suddenly.

Manow Thai at the Casson Block on St George's Street shut last week. It has since been largely cleared.

The closure will be a surprise to many as the place was highly regarded and did a lot of work for charity by hosting events.

It was opened in 2016 by Shah Abdul, the brother of well-known city restaurateur Miff Kayum.

Mr Abdul took over the premises left vacant by Bengal Sage, one of Mr Kayum's eateries.

He was unavailable for comment.

The building is owned by the city council and an un-named national takeaway chain is reported to have taken over the premises.

In 2016 Mr Abdul told the Chronicle: “The support we had from the people of Winchester was so great we just could not let go of the premises. I hope they like my take on East Asian food.”