A DELICATESSEN in The Borough which specialised in locally sourced food and drink has folded less than a year after it was set up.

Bailiffs moved in on Saturday morning and boarded up the Borough Delicatessen, which opened last December in The Bush Buildings.

Owner Steve Hardman said he was behind with the rent and that at the time the bailiffs moved in the shop was shut for a revamp, in a bid to attract the lunchtime sandwich trade.

"I am deeply disappointed, I tried my best to keep it going," said Mr Hardman, 56, who this week was back working in the building trade.

He blamed a combination of factors for the demise of the business, including the refusal of banks to lend, which meant he had only his own resources to inject.

"At £22,000 a year, the rent was a lot of money and the rates were £12,000 to £13,000. At the end of the day we just weren't covering our costs."

Mr Hardman added that as well as being reluctant to pay the price demanded for high-class British products, customers had not yet embraced the concept of buying British wines, for instance.

"It's hard to get people to convert when what they're used to is French, Italian and South African," he explained.