THE only petrol station in Bewdley is to close next month.

The Texaco garage in Kidderminster Road, beside Bewdley Police Station, will shut on Thursday, June 2.

Twelve people work at the station and a Texaco spokesman said the firm was doing everything it could to help staff find alternative employment opportunities. The site would be "sold for alternative use" he added.

He went on: "The site at Bewdley requires a substantial investment to bring it up to modern standards and, unfortunately, it is no longer viable as an ongoing business.

"We would like to thank our staff and customers for their support over the last few years. The difficult decision to close the site was not one taken lightly and we are sorry for those directly affected by its closure."

Staff were told the news this week.

John Nowell, 73, who has worked there for five years, said: "Everybody was cut up about it, the same as me. It is the only petrol station in Bewdley and it is open 24 hours a day, which is why it is always so busy."

The news comes as more and more district petrol stations close down. The site of a former station in Bewdley, also on the Kidderminster Road in Wribbenhall, is still vacant after a housing plan was, this year, refused council permission.