A LAUNDRETTE opened its door on Christmas Eve to those in need of a fresh pair of clothes.

Bosses at the Laundry Place, on Station Road, invited Maldon’s homeless in for a free wash and dry.

Co-owner Kerry Frost, 30, of Heybridge, came up with the idea as she wanted to highlight the importance of giving back to the community.

She said: “I came up with the idea on Saturday as we really just wanted to give back to the community a little bit, and we thought let’s just do it.”

Kerry has run the laundrette alongside partner Andrew Keeble since March.

She added: “One thing we want to encourage is to help people out in the community, especially near Christmas time.

“I thought it would be a nice thing to do and good for people who may be homeless to have clean clothes on at Christmas.

“We’re not massive so we can’t help thousands but even if we help just one or two people from the area feel a bit better, I’ll be happy.

“As a local company we wanted to do our bit to help.”

Kerry said they now plan on doing the free wash every year.