AN independent coffee shop owner has said he will be “gone by Christmas” as he fears Colchester will be reduced to a ghost town of vacant shops.

Dennis Davis says his café Deja Brew, in Priory Walk, won’t see out its first year in the town and will become the latest business to close its doors.

“I feel the more I think about it the more I realise how bad things have become,” he said.

“People are always moaning to me if you don’t use it you’re going to lose it.

“Half the shops down here are empty.”

Empty units in Priory Walk include the former Peacocks, which closed its doors last July, Superdrug, the Back to the 60s café and Piatto.

“We opened as a pound store in between two coffee shops, but on the first day we signed the lease Piatto closed and within a month of opening the 60s café closed,” he said.

“All of a sudden we had a pound shop in the middle of nowhere.

“Now there is Triple Two up the road giving out half price coffees.

“Large companies come in and we are stuck down here competing as best we can, making tables out of wooden pallets.

“I am fighting with blood and sweat to stay open and I can’t carry on.

“I haven’t got the backup to do this.

“There needs to be something there for independents to give that incentive – be it lower business rates for the first year or a reduced service charge.

“Otherwise towns like Colchester will lose out – you are going to end up with a really boring town.”

Mr Davis said he is struggling to turn a profit while paying a £8,000 business rate, £1,500 service charge and £400 Business Improvement District levy.

“People are going to Costa coffee – it’s owned by Coca Cola,” he said.

“Their profits are going to America. Meanwhile my daughter’s school can’t even afford to buy books.

“We are not looking after our own.

“I have made my decision but this is about my children who are six-years-old and the sort of town they will see by the time they are 15.

“There will be nothing to come to town for.”

He added: “I have some lovely customers, but there is no reason to walk down Priory Walk if you’re not going to Sainsbury’s.

“The street is dirty, there are fag butts all over it and there is a bin outside which I took upon myself to paint.

“The street doesn’t exactly say ‘Welcome to Colchester’.”