Bakery chain Greggs has confirmed it is set to open a new outlet in Felixstowe next year - in place of the town's Dock Stop Cafe.

A Greggs spokesperson said: "We can confirm we're looking to open a shop in Felixstowe in the new year and will be sure to share information in due course.”

However, lorry drivers say they will miss the existing cafe, which is closing on Christmas Eve after 28 years, and will no longer be able to get a full meal.

Permission for the new Greggs "Pod" store at the Felixstowe Dock Service Area in Anzani Avenue was granted earlier this year.

Site operator Motor Fuel Group has been given approval to demolish the existing cafe, behind the BP station, and replace it with the new Greggs Pod.

A report to East Suffolk Council said: "Similar to the existing structure, the proposed building would be of a modular build. It would also have a similar height to the existing, but the floor area would increase from 43 to 65 square metres.

"A new enclosed refuse storage area would also be positioned off the new building's west-facing elevation."

A previous application to redevelop the site was granted in 2019. This was to demolish the carwash, HGV wash and cafe and build a Greggs bakery and enhanced HGV parking, with cycle parking, new jet wash, and a new exit onto Trinity Avenue.

Gary Brown, who runs the Dock Stop Cafe together with his partner Mike, said: "None of the drivers who come in the cafe want Greggs. They want somewhere they can sit down and have a nice meal, not a takeaway."

He said he and Mike are still looking for somewhere they can open up a new cafe, but it is hard to find a site with enough lorry parking.

Carl Stone, an HGV driver working out of Felixstowe, said drivers now had too few facilities, with the cafe's closure coming on top of the loss of the Orwell Truckstop.

"A lot of the drivers are upset. No one's really happy - we will have nowhere to get a proper meal, unless we drive all the way to the Hilltop Cafe in Bury St Edmunds."

Mr Stone added that many garages had fast food outlets such as Greggs, Subway and McDonald's. "They're fine for a quick lunch, but it's not a proper meal."

Alan Penny, another regular at the cafe, said: "I used to drive trucks back in the 1960s and 70s, and I used to have more facilities then than what people have now."

Motor Fuel Group has been contacted for comment.