RETAILERS have warned that Chesham faces ruin unless drastic action is taken to halt the trend of closing shops.

Business leaders and traders believe the town is struggling in the face of stiff competition from major shopping centres nearby such as London and Watford.

And at Chesham Town Council's annual town meeting on Wednesday, councillors admitted they were "very concerned" for the future of Chesham's shopping centre adding that any improvements to the situation would take an "uphill struggle".

Cllr Alan Walters, chairman of the town council's town centre revitalisation committee, said: "We (the council) are very concerned. There is no doubt the situation is deteriorating as far as the number of shops is concerned. We are also concerned about the type of goods being sold. It doesn't offer the variety of shops people are looking for. I can only assure you we are doing our utmost to provide all the facilities that retailers need."

Susan Ashdown, a retailer in Chesham for more than 20 years, told the meeting: "If something isn't done about the retail units closing down we won't have a town to worry about."

Mrs Ashdown, who owns the Waterside Sandwich Bar with her husband, added: "We need to revitalise the town and help the retailers as much as we can in regard to rent and rates."

After the meeting Peter Willoughby, chairman of Chesham in Business, said Chesham was not in "terminal decline" but blamed the pedestrianisation of the High Street for the slump in town centre shops.

He said: "It's a town that has had its front window broken. The High Street is the front window of any town. It can be repaired. I've never ever seen the logic behind pedestrianisation."

According to the Chesham Partnership, which works to revitalise the town, 12 of the 132 retail units in Chesham town centre are empty and six are occupied by charity shops.

Chesham Town Council in partnership with Chesham town manager, Maggie Cannon, is set to introduce a range of initiatives to brighten up the town centre to attract more shoppers and retailers.

Ideas for the Chesham High Street include a set of four Victorian-style archway banners and a canopy for outdoor performances and markets under the clock tower. The combined cost of the two initiatives would run to more than £100,000.

But Cllr Walters (Lib Dem, Townsend) believed such initiatives only have a small part to play in the town's future as a local retail centre.

He said: "These are really small matters. The major things, I fear, are business rates and rents. Business rates are set by central government. We as the town council and the district council have nothing to do with it."