25 June 2023 , 15:49
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Photographs capture empty units in a ghost town which was once a bustling shopping hub.
Some of the independent business of which Grimsby was once known have vanished amid a cost of living crisis with rising rates and energy bills.
Now, around 40 business units in the port town lie derelict with just old signage and memories of yesteryear still visible.
These include what was a popular pub, and an independent baby and clothing store, Grimsby Live reports.
But there is optimism the shopping streets of Grimsby will prosper again.
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One of the main shopping streets in Grimsby has almost 40 empty units (GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford)Chartered surveyor Lawrence Brown, who runs property firm Scotts, said: "Freeman Street is reflective of retail, not just here, but the whole of the UK.
"People are moving on in terms of how they shop and, as consumers, society is doing more internet shopping.
"Empty units are a result of that unfortunately. However it does offer a variety of shops that you can't find anywhere else. There are opportunities to buy things you can't get online from traders who are new to the area or even the country, which is great.
"We don't want the same thing as everyone else and this street is a little bit different to everywhere else with its European and Asian food shops for example. Personally, I think that's brilliant."
There are more shutters than shop windows in the port town in Lincolnshire (GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford)Sadly, Grimsby's tale of woe is reflected in a great deal of small towns across the United Kingdom, particularly since the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis.
The dual towns of Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, for instance is also suffering challenges, as highlighted by Mirror this month.
Households there have blasted the Tory-controlled council for failing to support small businesses and attract tourists again.
A number of companies have had to close altogether on and near Freeman Street (GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford)In the last two months, at least 12 new businesses have had to shut their doors in St Anne's alone.
And last year, Mirror highlighted difficulties Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was facing - and the plights of surrounding villages, once thriving farming and coal mining hubs.
Only a few salons, a betting shop, a pharmacy and an off licence remain open in Goldthorpe near Barnsley, for example, with only one of several pubs still operating, and several cafes also boarded up.
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