A well-known business which has been established in Liskeard for more than seven years is closing down.

The main blame is being laid on high business rates and car parking charges.

Mr Andrew Cheeseman, owner of Splinter in Fore Street, which sells branded surf style clothing for men, says the shop will be emptied out by the end of March.

Plus when the lease runs out in three years' time on his other shop in Liskeard – Madhouse – he said he will be out of the town completely.

'Unless there is a miracle turnaround in trade there will be no point in me staying,' he said.

The businessman said his other shops, two in Looe and two in Bodmin, were trading well, and he was negotiating for another store in St Austell.

'It is just Liskeard,' he said. 'It is sad but it has become a dead town. When we opened up here seven years ago we were doing very well.

Customer

'We met a lot of nice people and we had an excellent customer base.

'But with Woolworths and now Eurospar closing down in the town centre, plus increasing parking charges, the footfall is low and there is not enough income to cover the overheads.

'Liskeard needs an incentive like a 20p charge for two hours' parking to try and encourage people to come back to the town to shop.'

Mr Cheeseman said he would be running some men's lines from Madhouse until it closes as well.

Andy Blackwell of Blackies barbershop in Pondbridge Hill, is appealing for local people to keep backing his campaign for the first two hours' of parking free for shoppers.

Last year a petition he ran around the town attracted thousands of signatures, but he says the pressure must be kept up.

He says Cornwall Council needs to be bombarded with letters and emails asking for free parking to prove that Liskeard town centre has more difficulties than other towns, and why it needs to be treated differently – the point which was made at the public hall debate on parking.

'Don't give up now that we have the ball rolling,' said Mr Blackwell.

'The weight of individual letters is now even more important. It works but it must be done by thousands of people.'

To back Mr Blackwell's campaign Please Help Save Our Liskeard Town Centre And Shops, write to: Parking, Cornwall County Council, Basset Centre, Basset Road, Camborne, TR14 8SL, or email parking@cornwall.

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l Meanwhile in Liskeard a new shop opened last Friday in the former Girls Allowed premises in Fore Street.

Proprietor Tracy Moore has come back to Liskeard after spending 18 years in Teneriffe and is excited about running her own business. 'This is very much a family venture,' said Tracy. 'My mum Linda Moore owns the building and when Maureen (of Girls Allowed) said she was retiring, she said she was determined there wouldn't be another empty shop in the town. We talked about it and decided a shoe shop was needed.'

Linda Moore has now retired from her business Street Wise in Pike Street, which is being run by her other daughter Jane Fisher.