TV chef Simon Rimmer has shut down his Liverpool restaurant The Viking.

A notice has been placed on the restaurant’s website citing “recent challenging times” as the reason for the sudden closure.

It reads: “The Viking opened in 2016 with the goal of bringing a modern British pub to West Kirby.

“During the first two years it proved extremely popular and consistently delivered a high-quality guest experience.

“More recently, however we have found it more challenging to maintain this level of experience. After a lot of consideration and a period of review, we have concluded that closing is the best option with immediate effect.

“Our priority is our team and we aim to preserve as many jobs as possible and will offer alternative positions within the business where we can.”

Rimmer opened The Viking in 2016. It had 150 covers inside and a further 170 outside and upstairs.