READERS have had their say after another town centre shop announced that it will soon close its doors.

Furness Home Interiors is the latest shopping outlet to reveal it is shutting its Portland Walk premises.

The furniture shop follows Debenhams, Topshop, River Island, Pandora and Thorntons who have already vacated the section of town in recent years.

WHSmith and The Body Shop will also depart it this month.

We asked our readers if anything could be done to reverse the tide of closures.

Trevor Jones said: "Town centres are bland and not attractive, high business rates mean higher prices, and traffic wardens inflicting fines on people. On line and retail parks are the way forward. Retailers used to offer free delivery in the past. Better subsidies for public transport might help, the list goes on."

Arron Aston said: "The future is food and drink. Shopping is all done online and in cities. Imagine the bottom of Dalton Road pedestrianised and covered with seating down the middle. Live events for the restaurants and bars down each side. Or even Debenhams kitted out as a food court. Only problem being is that its all fantasy unless investors have a reason to invest."

Adam Hayes said: "Solution lower the local business rent rate people are struggling so bad due to this pandemic business are shut 60 - 70 per cent of the year then open for a week or so then close again we need this pandemic to be treated locally not as a country."

Eddy Christopher said: "Free parking. Otherwise no one will pop into the few remaining shops."

Joshua McKee said: "I'm sorry this is getting silly now all the hard working people in Barrow who are sadly losing their jobs. All we have in our town is charity shops, takeaways, hairdressers. There is no thrive in Barrow at the moment. Gone were all the good shops like Debenhams, Marks and spencers. It's a shame as online shopping has increased over the years. Our town will just turn into housing and end up into a ghost town. Barrow needs some sort of funding to make it the boom town again I'm disgraced at the state of our town and then poor workers that are losing their jobs!"