Locals in a pretty UK town fear their high street will be "deserted" after a series of shop closures. While businesses all over the country have struggled to make ends meet in the face of challenging economic conditions, retailers in Devizes, Wiltshire, have had it tougher than most. A major route to the market town's high street, via Northgate Street, has been partially shut since November after a fire broke out in a kebab shop - impacting footfall and, in some cases, making an already difficult situation unsustainable for small and independent firms.

Gift shops Emporium and Expressions and charity shop Scope are among recent departures from the town centre, the BBC reports, with remaining business owners raising the alarm over an uncertain future. Richard Staker, who works at the gaming shop Level Up, said:"[Northgate Street] was closed fully for six weeks [after the fire] so that had a massive impact."

"Now it is starting to pick up, but it's still having a big impact with one-way traffic," he added. "There is a big worry for the future that it could be one of the next towns that becomes deserted."

Ian Williams, from fabric shop Shamrock Linens, also said the existing situation was "very sad for the town", pointing to the relocation of a bus stop due to the road closure as an obstacle for people with mobility issues trying to do their shopping in person.

Northgate Street was initially scheduled to reopen in March but has been delayed indefinitely, with Wiltshire Council pledging to work with the owners of damaged properties to resume normal service as soon as possible.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned of UK-wide challenges that continue to face small and medium-sized enterprises and called for measures including better-managed parking facilities and tourism campaigns to help them weather high cost-of-living prices.

Sam Holliday, FSB development manager for Gloucestershire and the West of England, added that local firms in particular had faced "one issue after another" since struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He told the BBC:"I still belong to a generation that believes the high street is the heart of the community.

"So we've really got to do everything we can to be a part of that."