A Sidmouth dry cleaners could be shut by the summer after its owners announced plans to close a third of its branches this week.

Johnson Cleaners, in High Street, is owned by the Johnson Service Group, which, on Tuesday, revealed plans to close 109 of its 307 branches which were ‘not financially viable’.

Although the company has not specified which branches will be shut, it says it expects the affected shops will cease trading ‘during the first half of the year’.

A statement from the company said that it was looking to focus more on providing locations where customers could leave and collect their dry cleaning rather than dedicated shops. The statement added that the company would be consulting with employees affected by the planned closures.