Fleetwood high street re-opens - but concern raised over vandals

And businesses are calling on residents to support them after the long freeze on trade.

It has been one of the toughest times for high streets over the past three months, and Lord Street and the shops around it have felt the squeeze as keenly as anywhere else.

But with some aspects of lockdown slowly being eased, many non-essential items shops reopened on Monday and there is hope things can slowly get back to normal.

Fleetwood businesses are hoping customers will return and support the trade on their doorsteps which offer a unique personal service for the community.

The welcome return to trade has been shadowed, however, by an spate of vandalism in the town centre, with a number of properties having their windows smashed, including Fleetwood Library, Pablos cafe and the Golden Star takeaway.

At Lords Deli, also on Lord Street, Debbie and John Gray have been back trading for the last few weeks after the premises were closed for two months.

Debbie said: “Things are slowly getting back to normal, which is a relief, it has been quite tough.

“We just hope that more shops will now be opening and that people will support them.

She added: “It has not helped that vandals have been smashing windows, the town can do without that.”

The Mole Hole, a well-established gift shop which has been established in Fleetwood for 36 years, reopened on Monday after being closed for an unprecedented three months.

Owner Caroline Boot said: “I just hope everyone gets behind the town centre, it needs all the help it can get.

“It has been a difficult time, we’ve never been closed for so long, but on Monday our customers came in and were happy to be socially distanced and they were very positive.”

She added: “We’ve been affected by the vandalism ourselves, someone has fired a pellet gun through our upstairs window.

“The vandalism is the last thing the town needs after what’s happened.”

Janet McCrudden, at Fabrics at Fleetwood, on Lord Street, is thankful that a lot of her trade is online. Her business sells a range of fabrics and sewing accessories.

Janet said: “If I was reliant on people coming through the door, the last few months would have made it impossible. Trade has obviously not been as good, but it’s better than nothing and I’ve kept going.”

“I am hopeful people will come back to our high street and support the smaller businesses, even if they have to keep their social distance.

“It’s very important that people do support their local shops. They offer that personal service you wouldn’t get elsewhere and it helps keep the town together.”

This was echoed at the Pink Wellie Farm Shop, on Dock Street, which has stayed open throughout lockdown.

Proprietor Nicole Berrie, said: “Over the counter trade has fallen but the delivery side has gone through the roof, because people who are self-isolating still want their meat packs and we are delivering quite a lot.

“I do feel uncertain, though - will people who are used to staying away come back?

“I hope they do and support the town centre.”

In an unrelated incident, a 32 year old Fleetwood man has been arrested after a window was smashed at the Halfax Bank on Poulton Street, Fleetwood, late on Monday night.