Three jobs have been created in a refurbishment of a Costa Coffee store – prompting a visit from Peppa Pig.

The chain’s Heygate Avenue café in Southend was completely gutted last week ahead of the four-day refurbishment before reopening tomorrow morning with a visit from the children’s television character.

With the makeover came three new barista jobs, as well as £50 for the charitable Costa Foundation, after a customer bought four of the paintings formerly hanging in the unit.

Store manager Vicky Scott, 26, said: “It’s taken four days to refurbish the store after closing on Sunday (November 1) afternoon and handing over the keys for it all to be ripped out.

“This is the biggest refurbishment we do, at level one, and we have new sofas, tables, chairs, a new community board in the middle of the store, a new bar, cake display and toilets.

“We’ve also created three jobs, too, with the potential for more as we expand.”

She added the customer who bought the paintings approached staff when she saw the store was being refurbished – having already done the same once before.

She said: “All the paintings which were on the wall, we sold to one of our local customers.

“She bought the paintings from the last refurbishment we did in Southend too and, when she saw ‘closing down’ sign in the window, she asked if she could buy them.

“She purchased four of them and we raised £50, and we put it all towards our Costa Foundation.”

The Costa Foundation was started in 2007 and aims to improve the life chances of children in coffee growing communities around the work by providing them with the opportunity of a safe, high quality education, as well as developing land for farmers to grow crops.