A HUDDERSFIELD baker's shop has been forced to close after more than 30 years of trading.
G H Thomas Bakers and Confectioners on New Street is shutting its doors for good on March 24 after its London-based landlord announced plans to expand the premises.
Owner David Clough, 67, said the proposal - to knock the shop through to an area previously occupied by the Halifax bank - came as a major blow. He added: "My shop is only half a unit, but they have decided to knock it through to the back to make one whole unit.
"The rent will be uneconomical, so I had no option but to finish."
Mr Clough, of Mirfield, has run the shop for a decade. But he believed the outlet, selling goods from Thomas's Bakery in Elland, had been there for more than 30 years.
He said: "We are a happy little team. I am really sad about it. I think there'll be tears all round when we close."
He said staff had only just been given the news.
"Everyone is very sad," added Mr Clough.
He said customers had already said they were devastated at the news.
