A homemade headstone and flowers have been left as a tribute to a town’s lost Wilko store.

The tongue-in-cheek “RIP Wilko” sign has been placed in the taxi rank in Park Street near the now empty store in Ashford.

The shop in Park Mall closed its doors for the final time on Thursday as the firm fell into administration last month.

Wllko had been in Ashford for 21 years, taking over the biggest unit in the shopping centre, previously used by Sainsbury's.

While the lights are still on inside, the shutters have been pulled down and the shelves are empty.

The mock tribute reflects the feeling of shoppers in Ashford who said they were “gutted” to lose the store after the announcement was first made.

Meanwhile, long-term plans to convert Park Mall into homes could now be fast-tracked following the loss of Wilko.

Eight years ago Ashford Borough Council bought the precinct, which is home to a number of other units, including a tearoom, Poundstretcher and a record store.

And given Wilko’s sudden downturn - plus the closure of the centre’s car park - the proposed redevelopment could now happen earlier than planned, although a timescale has yet to be revealed.

All 400 Wilko stores, including its fourteen locations in Kent, will be shut by early October meaning redundancies look likely for all 12,500 people who work for the high-street chain nationwide.