Only shop in one of UK's smallest villages to close its doors for last time ever this weekend

Phillip and Lucy Payne person tally Mersham Stores and Post Office successful Mersham, Kent, for much than 8 years - but they're closing it time arsenic they were incapable to renew the lease

The lone shop successful 1 of the smallest villages successful the state is closing its doors for the past clip ever tomorrow, its owners person confirmed.

Phillip Payne and his woman Lucy person tally Mersham Stores and Post Office successful Mersham, adjacent Ashford, Kent, for much than 8 years - but person been incapable to renew their lease connected the property, meaning the store volition cease to commercialized arsenic of midday connected Sunday. The store owners said they are "devastated" to adjacent the store which has go a "big portion of the community" successful the small village.

The mates are present readying to determination to Yorkshire and instrumentality implicit different colony store there. However, Mr Payne said some helium and his woman are "incredibly sad" to permission Mersham.

The 51-year-old told Kent Online: "It's not thing we wanted to do, but we haven't been capable to renew the lease. We person loved our clip successful the colony and person had specified a large narration with our customers.

"We're conscionable genuinely grateful for everybody who has supported america implicit the years." Addressing the determination to determination to Yorkshire, Mr Payne said: "We are opening a tiny colony store successful the Yorkshire Dales and anticipation to replicate what we built present successful Kent. I privation to convey each of our astonishing customers. We are truly going to miss them. It's been a privilege to beryllium a portion of this community."

Shoppers person besides been near disappointed astatine the news, arsenic 1 wrote: "Very bittersweet to work this. Such a fantastic store and precise beauteous people. All the champion for the future." Another added: "Sadly the nonaccomplishment of colony shops successful accepted tiny villages has been the downfall of assemblage beingness successful specified places.

"The colony store is wherever radical passed the clip of day, radical got to cognize immoderate caller neighbours and they were a lifeline for older radical who couldn't entree larger shops successful towns oregon conscionable wanted to get retired and person a chat with someone. Now villages without shops are conscionable determination to live; inhabitants spell to enactment and travel home, spell elsewhere for their buying and astir apt don't person overmuch to bash with different villagers; different than their contiguous neighbours (if that)."

It is believed the proprietor of the gathering is present looking for alternate tenants to instrumentality connected the shop, aft Ashford Borough Council (ABC) listed the store arsenic an plus of assemblage worth (ACV) past month. An ACV is simply a gathering oregon different onshore whose "main usage has precocious been oregon is presently utilized to further the societal wellbeing oregon societal interests of the section assemblage and could bash truthful successful the future." The determination allows assemblage groups to support assets from being sold to backstage owners - and if the proprietor of the gathering wants to sell, they request to notify the section authority.