VOTE: Over 3,000 shoppers sign petition to save Scunthorpe Marks & Spencer store

MORE than 3,000 shoppers are backing a major campaign to save the Scunthorpe branch of Marks and Spencer from closure after 72 years of trading.

Shoppers have flocked to sign an on-counter petition calling on the company's board of directors to rethink their decision.

The idea of the in-store protest was mooted at opening time last Friday by an 86-year-old who has been a shopper at the store for more than 50 years.

The pensioner, who asked not be identified, said: "We are not going to allow the closure of the store without a David v Goliath fight.

"It's a warm and secure place to go shopping and the staff are so friendly.

"We hope to have at least 5,000 names on the petition by the end of the week.

"Surely M&S will not turn a deaf ear to so many outcries. The company would lose its street credibility if it did."

Such is the severity of the proposed closure, council chiefs have secured talks with the company tomorrow.

M&S will be asked about what options are available and if the plan can be scrapped.

Mark Kirk, leader of the council, said: "We will be meeting with Marks & Spencer representatives tomorrow. We need to explain to them about the potential in North Lincolnshire.

"It's an area where there's going to be a real boom and it would be a shame for Marks & Spencer to miss out."

The petition will be sent off to London on August 2.

The closure plan blow comes as bosses at M&S confirmed the 36-staff at the High Street store are among the friendliest in the country.

A company spokesman said: "The store manager and her team have been recognised for their commitment to service this year."

M&S last week announced the planned closure of the Scunthorpe store along with other branches in Skegness, Grantham and Nuneaton, after stating it had been financially unviable for at least the past three years.

The company has declined to discuss the trading figures at the High Street branch, claiming they were "commercially sensitive".

The spokeswoman added: "The decision to propose the closure of the store was made by the company.

"It was not an individual decision and it is certainly not one that has been taken lightly."