A popular Bridport bakery will be closing this week after over 20 years in the town.

As reported last week, the owners of Leakers on East Street said the business had been put into a position of uncertainty due to "escalating costs".

They said that rising costs of raw ingredients and unsustainable energy costs had contributed. Plans were also refused for solar panels to be installed on the building.

Leakers last day of trading will be on Friday (14th).

In his weekly roundup, Ian Bark shared his thoughts, saying: "I am deeply saddened by the news that Leakers Bakers will cease to be at the end of trading on Friday 14th October. For the past 20 years, Leakers has been a significant and well-loved presence on East Street and the market and I know that it is going to be sorely missed by many many local people and visitors alike.

The Mayor also said he "couldn't think of any good reason" why the solar panels were rejected.

He continued: "Dorset Council has declared a climate emergency and sadly all too often, people who are trying their best to upgrade their homes and businesses to make them more energy efficient and habitable are being thwarted by the same Dorset Council, in its role as planning authority, applying outdated and very often subjective criteria and judgements to applications.

"Just because a building is listed or in a conservation area does not mean it should not be upgraded and made fit for life in the twenty-first century. For example, rejecting applications to replace draughty single-glazed metal-framed windows with double-glazed units is not a matter of conservation. It is forcing people to endure a lower standard of living on the basis of a subjective aesthetic judgement by the planners.

"Based on the current interpretation being used by Dorset Council, there are 461 Grade 2 listed buildings in Bridport that would, in all likelihood, find an application to install solar panels rejected. In this day and age, this is no longer acceptable.

"Partly as a consequence of these wildly outdated attitudes towards the installation of solar panels, Bridport is about to lose a much-loved traditional bakery that is very much in the spirit of what makes the town's high street such a dynamic place for residents and visitors alike.

"It is time for a radical rethink in the Planning Department at Dorset Council. It is time to put people and the environment first, preserving our heritage where we can, but not to the disadvantage of our residents and the planet."