Rumours that a St Albans restaurant will imminently close have been dismissed by the chain.

This weekend The Sun reported that Jamie’s Italian in The Maltings was one of 12 eateries facing the axe after financial losses over the last year.

Its unnamed source said staff were anticipating closures as early as next week.

The story pinpointed other possible closures in Milton Keynes, Glasgow, Bristol and Cardiff.

However, a spokesperson from The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group has dismissed these claims.

She said: “[The Group] can confirm it is exploring plans to restructure its Jamie’s Italian restaurant estate in the UK, to ensure the business is in good shape for the future.

“As part of this review, we are in conversation with our stakeholders, but no final decisions or proposals have been made at this stage. Until we have completed our conversations with our stakeholders we don’t know which sites may be affected, if any.”

She added that the review will not affect Jamie’s Italian restaurants in other countries, which are managed through a different branch of the company called Jamie’s Italian International.