A BAKERS shop is closing its doors after trading in a town for more than 50 years.

Customers said farewell to Blunts Bakery in Letchworth GC town centre on Saturday - 54 years after the current owners took it on.

Maurice Blunt began working at the shop in The Arcade 61 years ago, initially under the name Arcade Confectionaries. The 83-year-old took over the business after the previous owner retired and has been in charge ever since.

The Letchworth GC resident said the store’s closure is a result of falling trade.

“I just think the whole of Letchworth has gone now because the rents and rates are too high for people and they can’t afford to do it,” said Mr Blunt, who will be retiring along with his wife June.

“Now we’ve just got cheap shops, building societies and charity shops and people won’t come here for that. We used to do buns, cakes, donuts and bread but at the end we’ve only been doing confectionary because the nearby supermarket took up all our bread trade.”

Blunts Bakery is expected to shut for good in three weeks time once remaining orders are fulfilled and stock sold, but customers were invited to visit the shop to say goodbye on Saturday.

Mr Blunt said: “We saw a lot of customers that used to come to us years ago but have moved away. It was very very emotional as we’ve been here so long.”

Mrs Blunt, 80, added: “We had a very long day and we were so tired afterwards but it was lovely. It was all a bit overwhelming.”