TOPSHOP in Blackburn is shutting and has announced a closing down sale in The Mall store.

The shock announcement has left shoppers devastated, saying that Blackburn could become a 'ghost town'.

Staff at the stores have put up signs for a closing down sale at the site, the only Topshop in Blackburn.

Other stores, including Bolton's Market Place branch, are also closing.

The sale features up to 70 per cent off items and 20 per cent off full price items.

The brand is owned by the Arcadia Group, which also holds shops like Miss Selfridge, Outfit, Dorothy Perkins and Evans among its empire. But the group has been battling through a difficult year.

Problems began in May 2019, when tycoon Sir Philip Green announced plans to close 23 stores in the UK and Ireland.

The true scale of the Arcadia Group's troubles was then revealed in June, as the business fought off falling into administration.

The group was saved in the final hour, with creditors backing a rescue deal that would save 17,000 jobs. The plan still included the closure of an unnamed 50 stores and 1,000 job losses in a restructure.

Other Topshop stores up and down the country have also announced closure this month. London’s Westfield Stratford centre branch will soon cease trading, along with stores in Aylesbury and Horsham.

Customers on Facebook posted their thoughts as the news broke.

Anne Gardiner wrote: "Thorntons as well, going to be a ghost town."

Andy Oldham said: "Everyone has embraced online shopping and thinks it brilliant. This is the result."

Other shoppers agreed that online sales have made it more difficult for shops to thrive. Scott Slater commented: "The high street is dying quickly. Online sales need a different tax system."