Celebrities pay respects to Glynn Purnell's closed Michelin-starred Birmingham restaurant

Michelin-starred Purnell's in Birmingham has closed after 17 years, citing economic pressures and declining footfall.

The restaurant's closure represents the end of an era for Birmingham's fine dining scene.

Celebrity singer Beverley Knight, who hails from Wolverhampton, took to social media to share her love and memories for the Brum restaurant. She posted: Gutted for you. Love this place.”

While Adam Woodyatt, who is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders but is currently working as a chef at Midsummer House, a restaurant in Cambridge, also expressed his dismay at the news.

He said: “FFS! Gutted for you mate.”

Fellow well-known chefs also waded in to pay their respects to Glynn Purnell, affectionately known as the "Yummy Brummie." He has been a key figure in putting Birmingham on the global fine dining map, both with his television appearances and through his restaurants.

Michael O’hare, who was chef-patron at The Man Behind The Curtain in Leeds and has also experienced the realities of hospitality sector hardship, said: “Onwards and upwards mate.. you’ve smashed it for years, long may you continue to.”

The team at Birmingham fine-dining spot Restaurant Folium said: “Sorry to hear this, sending love.”

Nathan Outlaw, who runs his two Michelin star restaurant, Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, in Port Isaac, Cornwall and has appeared on television shows such as BBC's Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen, also paid his respects.

Restaurateur Simon Wood, who announced Wood Manchester, his self-titled eatery in the city centre, would shut with immediate effect after seven years in business earlier this month, said: “When will this country listen. Hospitality needs help.”