A Northallerton trader has claimed he could be forced out of business by the giants of retail, just days after the supermarket boom was blamed for the closure of a family firm.

Robert Brown, who owns Link Stores at The Link, in Romanby, says he has suffered a severe loss of trade since the opening of a Co-op supermarket in Boroughbridge Road.

Mr Brown, who has run the shop for the past four years, is now "on the borderline" as to whether or not he will be able to carry on trading.

He expressed serious fears for the future in the wake of the closure of one of Northallerton's oldest and best-known family businesses.

S and A Trueman, butchers, closed after a 42-year presence in the town's High Street, with three generations of butchers trading there.

Manager Andrew Trueman said the popularity of supermarket chains and out-of-town retail parks had made it impossible for the business to survive.

Plans are in the pipeline for a Safeway store in Willowbeck Road and work is under way to double the size of a Tesco store in East Road.

Mr Brown said: "It has never been a real goldmine here, but it has always been enough to make a living from.

"But this Co-op store has been absolutely devastating for us and I can't afford to lose a third of my business, like I have done.

"At the end of the day, I'm thinking I might have to shut the place down. I'm on the borderline as to whether or not I can carry on."

The Co-op has only been open for a few weeks, but Mr Brown said there had been times when his shop had been taking only around £100 a day.

Northallerton Chamber of Trade has already expressed concern over the future of the High Street.