A huge waterfront shopping centre is closing after more than 20 years, with 32 people set to lose their jobs.

De Bradelei Wharf, which sits next to Wellington Docks in Dover and close to the seafront, will shut on Friday, July 14.

Management say the decision follows a huge rise in energy bills, making the outlet centre unviable.

Renovations are also needed at the centre, which is an old building.

Kieron Armstrong, director of JB Armstrong, the firm behind the business, said: "The utility costs at the Dover site made it unviable.

“For example, our gas bill this winter went up five times, from £3,000 a month to £15,000.

“We would have had to invest £100,000 for renovations and £50,000 for insulation.

“We would also have to invest £100,000 on the structure of the freehold, yet we don't own the freehold so it was no longer viable to carry on."

The land where the outlet stands in Cambridge Road is owned by Dover Harbour Board (DHB).

De Bradelei Wharf’s lease ended on April 7, but the authority is letting it stay on for three more months.

Staff had been told of their fate in a letter from head office.

But there is hope for at least some to stay employed, for example the centre’s ladies’ wear section is seeking new premises in the town centre.

Site manager Sally-Ann Vokes, 64, said: “I would still encourage customers to keep supporting us while we are still here. We still have a mass of stock.”

Several brand names sell their goods on the premises and only one, Unique U men’s and women’s wear, has moved out in anticipation of the closure, leaving an empty room.

When our reporter visited this week the centre was otherwise still busy with customers,

Mrs Vokes added: “Being made redundant isn’t so bad for me as I’m not far from retirement, but I feel sorry for the younger workers who have families and who have to pay mortgages or rent.

Mrs Vokes previously told KentOnline how a change at the centre’s car park was putting customers off visiting.

It followed the introduction of cashless payments, meaning shoppers had to pay over the phone, such as on RingGo.

Mrs Vokes said by last autumn there had been a 40% fall in revenue.

Speaking this week, she said: “I think that was the final nail in the coffin because customers weren’t used to it.

“We did everything we could to keep them coming in.

“But I think it came to an end through natural causes because of a lack of customers. People have not got a lot of money at the moment anyway.”

The discount shopping centre sells clothes, bedding, cookware and luggage.

The 10-unit outlet has brands such as Skopes, Pavers Shoes, Klass, Julian Charles, Gabbicci, Regatta, Wierd Fish, Emma and Odyssey.

The centre is also home to a cafe and children’s play area.

A ccording to its website De Bradelei Wharf was established in 2002. The germ of the idea for a factory shopping outlet came from the arrival of Dover Cruise Terminal in the nearby Western Docks in 1996.

The port authority converted part of the area’s former ship building sheds.

To provide a car park, the remaining dockside buildings, which included DHB Social Club, were demolished.

The hope was to have ready-made customers stepping off the nearby cruise ships - but the centre also proved to be popular with residents.