A FED up shop owner is quitting Brierfield town centre in protest after claiming the local council has done nothing to help his business.

Martin Muldowney has spelt out his annoyance at Pendle Council with a sign in the shop window saying he is moving due to its "lack of interest."

But Coun Allan Buck, chairman of the town centre forum, said he was keen not to "talk the town down" and said Brierfield had a lot going for it.

The notice in Ravenscroft stationery and legal bookshop, Colne Road, Brierfield, reads: "Due to Pendle Council's continued lack of interest in Brierfield this shop will relocate to St James Street, Burnley, from March 1."

Mr Muldowney, managing director of Ravenscroft Group, which also has legal offices in Colne Road, said the council did not offer businesses any incentives to stay in Brierfield.

"The council doesn't want to do anything for Brierfield," he argued.

"When we moved from Burnley to this shop at the end of May last year it was a derelict. We moved into Brierfield because we're Brierfielders and we needed bigger premises. But since we've come Pendle Council has done nothing. It has shown no interest in improving the area." Coun Buck said: "We've invited all businesses, including Ravenscroft, to the forum but they have never found the time to come along and put their points of view forward," he added. "We would have done everything we could to help them."

Coun Buck said hundreds of thousands of pounds of European money was being invested in the town through the community economic development scheme.

"We're always willing to talk problems through and what what we can do to alleviate them," he added. "Even at this late stage I would invite him to talk to either myself or other councillors."

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