Shoppers are mourning the loss of a popular store in Newport Pagnell following the closure of All-Dis Pet Malarkey.
The pet shop has closed its doors after six years of trading on the High Street.
“Once the roadworks started in the town our footfall fell off the edge of a cliff,” said Sharon Aldis who runs the family business with her husband, Graham.
The couple also own Wolverton's Prime Pets Supplies which has been in the town for 40 years, and currently operates from Church Street. That store remains open and unaffected.
“Trying to ferry the stock from Newport to Wolverton this week has been dreadful – having to queue to get in and out of the town takes so long. Who wants to spend ages in traffic to do simple tasks?
“The other reason behind the closure was that Milton Keynes Council decided to slap us with big business rates. Enough was enough, and regretfully we had to leave.
“It had been a dream to open a shop in my former hometown, and we provide a personal service you don't get from the larger superstores – we like to give people a good experience, and we don't rip people off.
“Our customers are long term and very loyal. Thankfully, many of them have followed to our Wolverton store, which is lovely.
“Nonetheless, it was sad to see dogs outside the Newport store with their owners last week waiting to come in, and being told they couldn't – for many dogs it was a popular stop off on their daily walk!”
Though All-Dis Pet Malarkey is now closed, Sharon says she is hoping to still provide a service – possibly once a month – to deliver to the elderly in the town who would otherwise struggle to collect their supplies.
