THE Taunton shop of a charity that looks after thousands of cats has closed after making the “difficult decision” not to renew its lease.

Cats Protection on High Street closed on Christmas Eve due to “the ongoing challenging environment within the charity retail sector as well as the additional pressures of rising energy bills and maintenance costs”.

Richard Preece, Cats Protection’s area retail manager for the South West, says: “Our Taunton shop sadly closed on Christmas Eve.

“The shop had reached the end of its lease and as a charity, we must always ensure that we use the resources we have in the best way possible.

“The difficult decision was therefore made not to renew the lease owing to the ongoing challenging environment within the charity retail sector as well as the additional pressures of rising energy bills and maintenance costs.

“We are extremely grateful to all our volunteers, donors, and shoppers for their time and generosity over the years who helped us to help so many cats in the local area.”