All 400 Wilko stores across the UK are set to close by early October, the GMB union has said.

The union - which represents more than 3,000 Wilko staff - revealed the update during a meeting with the retailer’s administrators this morning (Monday, September 11).

A rescue deal for the chain - led by HMV owner Doug Putman - fell through failed due to rising costs.

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Among its 400 UK stores, Wilko has branches in the Watford, Stevenage, St Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Hitchin and Letchworth areas of Hertfordshire.

Redundancies now look likely for all 12,500 staff at the business.

According to the BBC, it is understood no bidders are interested in running shops under the Wilko name, although some parties are interested in rebranding their stores.

Wilko had already confirmed that 52 stores would shut this week, leading to 1,016 redundancies.

Warehouses in Worksop and Newport are now both due to close on Friday, September 15, and a further 124 stores are due to close next week.

The chain announced that it had entered administration on Thursday, August 10.

At the time, a spokesperson for the chain confirmed that it had "no immediate plans" to close its Hertfordshire stores.