Seven jobs will be lost when a garden centre near Malvern closes.

Robin Loveridge, manager of Leigh Sinton Garden Centre, said the decision to shut was the result of slump in sales over the past 18 months.

Mr Loveridge, who has managed the business off the A4103 Worcester-Hereford road for three years, said: "I blame the weather conditions and the general state of the economy.

"We haven't had a proper spring over the last two years and things don't look any more favourable this year. It's March already and it's still cold.

"I don't think it's just that, though. It's the general state of the economy.

"If you drive through Malvern, you can see the 'for lease' signs on shops all over the place. The retail public are being taxed out of the shops."

A massive increase in business rates was also a contributing factor, said Mr Loveridge.

"There was the realignment of business rates last year, which increased our bills by £5,000. At the end of the day, we just couldn't go on."

The centre has been in administration for a couple of months. Mr Loveridge is meeting the administrator this week and expects the centre will shut by the end of the month. It is currently holding a closing-down sale.