FEARS have been raised after a small Carlisle retailer announced that the shop is now permanently 'closed'.

The Little Gin Shop, on Lowther Street, announced on Facebook that it was temporarily closing on March 19, in line with the coronavirus lockdown.

Now however owners Daniel White and Jack Lee have decided to close permanently, citing the lockdown, economic uncertainty and the end of the shops lease as reasons.

The shop, the first dedicated to selling gin in the city, opened on August 24, 2018.

It sold a range of gins, tonics, liqueurs, glassware and gift sets.

In a statement on Facebook, published today, they said: "We opened our little shop Two Years ago with little to no expectations, just a passion to bring hundreds of unique and independent gins to the people of Carlisle from every corner of the globe.

"Right from opening we were shocked at the response it had and at the community of gin lovers that started to grow around it.

"We had no idea that the last two years running the shop would be so enjoyable and in truth, we have loved every second of it.

"It's with a heavy heart that we announce that our lease on the shop has now ended and with the pandemic and the economic uncertainties that come with it going forward, we just could not jusify renewing the lease.

"We would like to take this time to sincerely thank all of our wonderful customers, suppliers and friends for the support they've given us over the last two years.

"It really has been a pleasure serving each and every one of you, whether as guests of our Gin Masterclasses or through helping you pick the perfect last minute Christmas gift, we will miss you all dearly.

"As many of you already know, the shop has never been our only project and we will still be hard at work in our restaurant, In The Meantime, just around the corner.

"In which, we will continue to serve a wide variety of our favourite gins both at the table, and through our masterclasses, in due course.

"For now, if you have any gift vouchers that need to be redeemed, please message us on our Facebook page.

"Thanks for the memories, stay safe and we'll see you soon."