THE number of vacant shops and business properties in Selby is on the increase again, prompting fears for the health of the town centre.

Figures released by district council bosses show that there are now 23 empty stores in the town, up from 20 in January.

That figure leapt 67 per cent from 12 in November. The number of vacant commercial properties, including shops, has also shot up from 103 out of 747 in January to 118 this month.

Selby District Council's economy boss Coun Brian Percival described the downward trend as "worrying", but said there are still promising developments on the horizon.

He said: "It is truly disappointing that we are seeing these closures, especially when there is so much new housing coming on to the market in the area.

"What we are probably suffering from is the period between new industry saying it is coming and it actually arriving.

"It concerns me that we should be seeing shop closures without any real reason for them."

Coun Steve Shaw-Wright said the latest figures showed the district council should focus more on helping small businesses.

He said: "The economic development unit should spend a little more time with the Selby Chamber rather than looking at multi-million pound projects.

"Those are nice, but without the small businesses to hang them on, as a town we will slowly fade and die. We need the small businesses to keep the town ticking over. We want a thriving town centre."

The news comes as greetings card seller Card Crazy and independent mobile phone retailer Talk Mobile, both in the Market Cross shopping centre, shut their doors for the final time this week.

A spokesman for Dransfield Properties, which owns the centre, said: "The two companies have gone into administration. We are marketing the units and are confident we will have new tenants soon."

Peter Gregory, of Selby Chamber, said: "It is always unfortunate when shops have to close in the Selby area.

"However I do believe that the town has a great deal to offer retailers who want to move into the area and concentrate on a niche market rather than trying to set up in competition to other established retailers."

Updated: 09:06 Monday, May 01, 2006