An historic Suffolk hotel and restaurant has made the "difficult" decision to close its doors.

The Great House in Lavenham was purchased in 2016 by Colchester Zoo owners Dominique and Julie Tropeano and is the holder of two AA Rosettes.

In January, the couple announced their decision to retire and listed the building for sale.

But they have now announced the closure of the much celebrated business due to a combination of staff shortages and health issues.

The Grade II Great House at Lavenham dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries and was built by the Causton family, who were weavers during the medieval town's commercial high point as England's wool capital.

Dr Tropeano said: "It is with great sadness my wife and I must announce the closure of The Great House as of Sunday, September 25, 2022; at least for the time being.

"Staff shortages together with deteriorating health condition on my part, are the main reasons why this difficult decision has been taken by both of us.

"This is happening at a time when we are experiencing the hotel and restaurant is at its busiest for a long time, with present bookings and months ahead looking very buoyant; at times, we have had to turn bookings away.

"We will be honouring as many bookings as we can until we close."

He added: "We can’t express how difficult it is to say goodbye to The Great House, this is an extremely sad time from a professional point of view but also a personal one.

"To have to say goodbye to the team who we have worked with for many years is very hard, some are compatriots, others from different parts of the world.

"Having worked with them for four years or so it will leave a huge void in our life.

"I want to thank all of the team for their support and excellent work they have given us.

"To everyone who has supported us in the past few years, we say thank you very much and hope that one day The Great House will reopen again with the taste of French cuisine enjoyed in this little corner of Suffolk, lovely Lavenham."