UK village’s only shop to permanently shut its doors in just HOURS as ‘devastated’ couple bid farewell

THE lone store successful a tiny UK colony is acceptable to unopen its doors for the past clip contiguous arsenic its "devastated" owners bid farewell.

The brace were forced to adjacent down their passionateness task owed to an unfortunate ineligible issue.

Phillip and Lucy Payne person tally their store and Post Office successful Mersham, Kent, for much than 8 years.

The outlet has go a "big portion of the community" successful the small village.

But they are incapable to proceed aft not being allowed to renew their lease connected the property.

Mr Payne told Kent Online that helium and his woman are "incredibly sad" to beryllium upping sticks.

He said: "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.

"I watched each these kids travel successful aft school and present immoderate of them are adults.

"It’s been a privilege to beryllium a portion of this community."

Their sadness was shared by section residents, with 1 calling it a "sad time for the village."

Another thanked the mates for their "hard enactment and dedication".

The Paynes present program to determination to the Yorkshire Dales to unfastened different store successful an effort to "replicate" their beloved store.

The proprietor of the Mersham store is reported to beryllium looking for caller owners to instrumentality connected the tenancy.

However, Ashford Borough Council has taken the determination to database the spot arsenic an "asset of assemblage value", which gives it added protections from being taken implicit by backstage owners.

If an connection is enactment it, the existent proprietor volition person to notify the assemblage and indispensable intermission the merchantability for six months if a section involvement radical oregon foundation expresses involvement successful buying it.