Shoppers have expressed their sadness following the news Tesco is to close its Chatham branch but most said they were not surprised.

The store has been there since the 1970s and has long needed a revamp.

There were once plans to redevelop the site but these seem to have been long forgotten, despite Tesco saying the plans were back on track in 2012 when £35,000 was spent making the shop and multi-storey car park more secure at night.

The car park had become a magnet for anti-social behaviour and rough sleepers - putting many customers off.

In 2011, Tesco invested heavily in a revamp of its Gillingham store, reopening as a Tesco Extra but shoppers said the Chatham branch has been “left to rot”.

Nannyannie wrote on the Medway Messenger’s website: “This used to be a really good shop - they stocked everything from wallpaper, paint, household furnishings to clothes as well as all the grocery items.

"It used to be really busy but it has gone downhill" - Tesco shopper Andrew Owens

“It started going downhill and bits of the shop floor were walled off some years ago.

"Every time I went there it seemed to be smaller. The horrible lifts and car park (owned by the council, not Tesco) certainly put people off."

hales15 wrote: “Not surprised it’s not profitable. The shop has been left to rot. Dark, dingy,and an awful layout with often near empty shelves.

"If they did it up years ago it could have been a profitable store."

gazzer1991 wrote: “Anyone who uses the store could see this coming from a mile off. For the past five years they’ve been getting less and less stock in favour of their Gillingham store.”

Chatham is one of 43 ‘unprofitable’ stores across the country which have been axed after a huge fall in profits. It is the only one in Kent to shut its doors.

Employees were told yesterday morning, just hours before the news was announced. It will close on Easter Saturday, April 4.

The Medway Messenger spoke to these shoppers outside the store to see what they thought:

Andrew Owens, 45, from Chatham, said: "I think its despicable how these staff have been treated.

“The mistakes have been made higher up and they are the one to pay the price. It used to be really busy but it has gone downhill."

Collette O’Flaherty, from Chatham, said: “I’m gutted it is closing. I shop here all the time. Everyone I know around here comes to Tesco.

“I have shopped here for years and I think the selection has gone down. It’s a shame because if they had put effort into it, Tesco could have made it work."

David Cooper, 52, from Chatham, said: "I think Tesco could have done more to make it profitable. There seems to be a lot of space in the store and it isn’t used.

“I have shopped here for the last 10 or 15 years and it is much less busy now, even on a Saturday. I think people have gone to the Tesco in Gillingham instead.”

Jane Broom, 54, from Chatham, said: "I’m shocked to hear it is closing. I’m going to miss it.

“I don’t know where I will shop now. It is quite a walk to Sainsbury’s, especially after work when it is dark. I might go to Asda but that is even further.”