A LANDLADY has said if nothing is done to tackle falling footfall in some areas of Hereford it will become a "ghost town."

Sonia Caldwell from The Grapes in Church Street has organised a meeting this Friday night to talk about what can be done to encourage people to use independent businesses.

She has run the pub with her husband Gary since January 2017 and said these are the worse trading conditions she has experienced so far.

She said: "It is not just me - it is everybody and everywhere - High Town, Commercial Street, King Street. Anywhere the independent business are - we have completely and utterly lost out.

"I am probably 55 per cent down, both on footfall and takings, compared to the same time last year, which is massive."

Sonia said she has had to reduce her staff from nine to four and Gary has had to get a job outside of their business.

She added: "Footfall is down. Ten people mightn't walk up Church Street in an hour at some points of the day.

"When I moved here in January 2017 Church Street was quite vibrant. When the poppies came to town it boosted all the local independents.

"For small businesses like mine the minute the poppies left it went from 100 percent to 1 percent."

She said she is not sure what the main causes are but believes paying for street parking is an issue and said further shop closures have made a difference.

Sonia added: "There is nothing to invite people into the town anymore because of the new precinct.

"The footfall is not there. There are several business which are not going to make it to Christmas."

She hopes that by getting businesses and members of the public together they can think of ways to get people back to their side of the city.

Sonia added: "There has to be something to support us through these time or else Hereford city centre and Commercial Street and all the other streets are going to be ghost towns of closed pubs and closed shops."

She said that the bills still need to be paid regardless of whether they have one customer or 100.

Business rates are set by the valuation office in central government and not by Herefordshire Council, which collects the rates. Rent is set at whatever the owner of the property chooses to charge a tenant.

The meeting is at 6pm at The Grapes in Church Street on Friday. All welcome.