THE closure of a greengrocers has been marked with sadness.

Sherie's Fruit and Veg in Dalton, the last remaining dedicated independent grocer in the town, has shut up shop.

Sherie Lovell opened the business in 2019 having moved following the closure of another popular greengrocers, Brocklebanks.

The shop, in Market Street, stayed open during lockdown, delivering essential fruit and vegetables across Furness.

Dalton mayor Craig Fox was saddened by the closure.

He said: "It's a shame to see it go.

"It was a little local shop that supported people during the pandemic.

"I'm extremely sad to see them go."

Cllr Fox congratulated the business on the work it did during the pandemic.

He added: "They were a very highly valued asset during lockdown.

"Hopefully they move on to better things."

Cllr Fox said people feeling more confident in returning to supermarkets following lockdown could have been a reason that led to the closure.

"Since things have started to ease people feel a bit more secure going to big shops," he said.

The closure follows another independent store shutting up shop.

School uniform shop Rig Out next door is also due to close in the next weeks following the death of its owner earlier this year.

Sherie's Fruit and Veg was awarded The Mail's Trader of the Week last year.

Sherie said at the time: “Deliveries have really taken off at the moment for obvious reasons, and we are doing it just as a family business alongside some volunteers as well.

“We have had some really positive comments from customers and I am quite pleased that we are able to stay open, even if we are working very long hours. It is around 12 hour days at the moment.

“We are going as far as Stainton with our deliveries so all over Furness really, we didn’t even advertise that part of our business much, just on Facebook and in our shop window."

The business picked up the award after being praised for 'going above and beyond' during the pandemic 'to supply and deliver fresh products everyday to elderly and vulnerable people around Barrow and Dalton'.