A sandwich shop in Nelson has closed suddenly and staff say they are “devastated” to leave.

Relish Sandwiches, in Market Street, closed on Friday (April 5) and a spokesperson for the company said the news was “unexpected” and the announcement came just days before the closure.

In a statement, they said: “We've got some bittersweet news! Relish will be closing its doors. While we were hoping to be here for a little while longer, sometimes things don't go according to plan.

“We're incredibly grateful for your custom and can't thank you enough for making Relish such a special place to work, eat and socialise for everybody.”

Alex Hill, who managed the shop, said the decision to close came after a variety of factors, including the pandemic and disagreements between the business and Pendle Council.

Alex said: “It's been a difficult decision after more than 10 years. The main reason for the closure is that the landlord has put the building up for sale.

“The dark side of it is that since the pandemic we have tried to adapt, but this is where our struggle started.

“We were denied Covid grants from Pendle Council that we were eligible for, as they misclassified us as a takeaway.

“We were then stonewalled by them. They refused to help us.”

A spokesperson for the council grants during the pandemic were allocated according to strict criteria.

Alex said sky-high energy bills also impacted the business. The team went on to online delivery platforms to adapt and survive.  

She said: “We also had to pay hand over fist for energy bills, which were more than £1,000 a month which is high for a business that's only open partial hours for five days a week.

“We took on Just Eat and Uber Eats to adapt and survive, which helped in the short run but this presented us with a whole other minefield of rogue refunds and reclaims.

“Trying to remain competitive and keep costs low in the face of rising supplier costs and overheads was never quite achieved and we chose to absorb a lot of the costs instead of pass them on to the customer."

Alex said the team is “grateful” for every customer.

She said: “We could be bitter and try to blame everyone and everything, but perhaps it's best to accept that some things are just meant to run their course.

“We've enjoyed our time here, but it's the end of our journey at Relish, and we are grateful for every single one of our customers, factories who reliably order every week and our regulars who come and enjoy a brew and a butty come rain or shine.

“We won't forget them. The staff are devastated, but some things are just meant to be."

A spokesperson for Pendle Council said: “Government grants during Covid-19 were allocated to eligible businesses following strict criteria.

“Many Pendle businesses were helped at this time and it’s unfortunate Relish Sandwiches and other similar businesses were not eligible for this financial help.”