Prezzo restaurants in Norwich's Tombland and Dereham are set to close.

The Italian chain has confirmed 22 restaurants will go, with the Norfolk sites included in the list.

The news will impact 216 jobs.

Cain International, which only bought the chain in December, has bought it back from administrators in a pre-pack deal to secure its future.

Jonathan Goldstein, chief executive of Cain, said: “We firmly believe that strong hospitality businesses, such as Prezzo, have a bright future and will play an essential role in reviving the UK economy.

“However, to do so, we must get through this current crisis of mounting liabilities and no revenues.

“The lack of visibility on when and how the sector will reopen has heightened economic uncertainty to the point where decisive action had to be taken to secure the future of the business and the majority of jobs for Prezzo’s people.

“We are deeply sorry for all those affected by the permanent closure of the 22 non-viable restaurants.

“It was a difficult, but essential, decision to take but doing so will allow us to save thousands of jobs and create more in the future.”