A shop owner and businessman has shared his thoughts on the potential closure of Wilko's stores.

Gerard Richardson, who owns Richardson's wine store on Lowther Street doors away from the Whitehaven Wilko's branch, thinks the potential closure of the store could have a detrimental effect on our high streets. 

He says that he is also concerned about what this could mean for Wilko's employees potentially losing their jobs just months before Christmas. 

Mr Richardson said: "To be honest I'm gutted, I know a lot of people have been online saying they love shopping in Wilko's and we ourselves use it quite a bit both for personal reasons and for the business.

"At the moment it's not looking very good and the signs are most of the stores are going to close. 

"Certainly from Whitehaven's perspective, it's awful for a number of reasons. It is on Lowther Street which for a number of years has been the most popular street in town. 

"You can only hope that it will get taken up by someone else, but at the same time it's a big store with no car park which may be unappealing for out-of-town retailers."