A popular Whitehaven restaurant will shut down next month.

Lisa and Simon Haslam have run the Waterfront on the town's harbourside for six years but have decided to move on.

Their decision is due to a "very difficult" financial year, a drop in people visiting Whitehaven and the impact "unsociable" hours are having on their family life.

Lisa said: "We've had a fantastic six years so it was a tough decision to make. It's a sad time for all.

"We've got the full support of our staff, they've been amazing. We've done what we wanted.

"We're leaving with a very heavy heart, emotions are running very high at the minute. We're disappointed we couldn't see it out a bit longer.

"We've got a lot of friends in the town and want to thank people for their support."

The restaurant will close on Sunday, January 7 at 4pm, it will be open that evening for drinks and music from The Northern Threads.

"There's a few different reasons for closing which have become a collective," said Lisa.

"We've had a very difficult financial year, which I feel is the same for the whole industry in Whitehaven.

"We're down on figures. We're governed by Marston's so our profit margin is not as great and our manager left in September.

"There's not a lot of people coming into Whitehaven now, this is another loss for the town and it's going to see more. There's not a lot of interest in the town itself."

She added: "It has also infringed on our family life, we've got three young children at home and one hasn't been well this year. We work unsociable hours and our family life is suffering.

"We're doing lots of hard work for not much reward. A lot of prices are going up next year too."

The couple are hoping to spend more time with their three children - Leon, eight, Katie, five, and Jack, four.

"We've got no fixed plans yet," said Lisa. "We hope to spend our evenings at home with our children. We'll have a little break and a holiday after Christmas."

Simon, who has previously worked at Lyzzick Hall in Keswick and Armathwaite Hall in Bassenthwaite, will produce a gala tasting menu for the final time on New Year's Eve, a feature Lisa says has been a highlight of their time at the Waterfront.

She added: "I don't think we expected our first year to be so amazingly successful, we really hit the ground running. That whole year was an absolute delight.

"Making friends and family over the years has been a highlight, we have a lot of customers who keep coming back."

Lisa's other stand-out memories include weddings and christenings, she said catering for their first same-sex service was "absolutely immense".

The restaurant revealed it was closing on Facebook, with nearly 200 people sharing the post and hundreds leaving goodwill messages.