MORE than 100 shops, offices and other businesses are lying empty in Selby, prompting fears for the future of small businesses in the town, the Evening Press can reveal today.

Latest figures show that one in seven businesses properties in the Selby town area is unoccupied. Among the properties boarded up are prime site premises in Gowthorpe, Micklegate, Finkle Street and The Crescent.

One departing shopkeeper said the future for Selby businesses was bleak, and blamed unfair Government policies for driving small retailers out of business.

The new statistics, given to the Evening Press by Selby District Council, show that out of 747 non-domestic properties in the Selby town area, 103 are unoccupied.

But Pete Gregory, right, of Selby Chamber, said there were still good opportunities in the town for small businesses to prosper, and Selby had a reputation as being one of the safest towns to shop in.

A council spokesman said 12 shops in the town were currently unoccupied, but the overall number of empty business properties was far higher.

David Wilson, whose Mr Crusty shop in Finkle Street closed earlier this month after 11 years in the town, was pessimistic about Selby's future.

He said: "I do think it's got a bleak economic future. Within Selby, they have built the out-of-town place, the Three Lakes Retail Park, and that's doing very well. But it takes things away from town centre shops.

"Unless someone has some plans to help the town centre, I despair for it. I am very sad that we are not part of Selby and things are not going in the right direction. We have seen a lot of changes, but unfortunately not for the better."

Mr Wilson blamed "unfair" Government policies for his closure, saying: "The downfall has been brought about by enforced wage rises that the Government has forced us to do, and it's a situation that we could not handle really. The last wage increase, we had to increase sales by £700 a month, and for a small family business that's a lot."

He said increased rates, and energy costs had also made the business unsustainable.

But Mr Gregory, member promotion manager for Selby Chamber, said: "There are tremendous opportunities in Selby for small businesses to prosper. There is a first class rail and road link into the area; because of the comprehensive CCTV system it has a reputation for being one of the safest towns to shop in; and exciting developments which are being negotiated to regenerate the town centre can only lead to more opportunities."

Updated: 09:49 Tuesday, November 29, 2005