THE mayor of Liskeard, Tony Powell, has described as 'incredibly disappointing' the closure of two businesses in the town centre in as many weeks.

'The town council is working extremely hard on several projects aimed at improving footfall in the town to help our local businesses,' he said. 'Hopefully these will come to fruition soon.'

Customers were shocked on Monday to find that the long-established Miners Home Appliances store in Pig Meadow Lane had failed to open for trading as usual.

Instead the shop remain closed with the windows padlocked and a notice pinned to the front door. It said: 'This store is now closed. All interested parties will be contacted ASAP.'

There has also been sadness to see one of Liskeard's most well-known and oldest pubs, The White Horse, closed down on The Parade. A notice pinned to the pub door on June 11 reads: Enterprise Inns plc, the owners of the freehold, have today entered the premises for the purpose of making them safe and 'NOT' to bring the lease to an end.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Enterprise Inns said: 'We have secured the premises and are in negotiation with the publican, Mr Phillip Golley and the estate of the late Josephine Murtagh, to resolve the current situation.'

There was much sadness in the town when landlady Josephine Murtagh collapsed and died at the pub on Christmas Eve.