Wescott Factory Meats has been serving the community of Liverpool from its base in the city's historic Meat and Fish market for over 11 years - but not anymore.
Last weekend, the directors made a last-minute and heart-breaking decision. They decided they could not open for business and had to close the store at the iconic Prescot Road market for good.
"We made the decision to close at 2.45am on Sunday morning," explains Westcott director Carl Hayes. "I had been up worrying all night and texted my fellow director and just said 'we can't continue, we're going to have to close.'
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The decision was taken because of what the Westcott bosses say are sudden soaring charges, including an electricity bill that has risen from around £3,000 a month to more than £10,000 per month in a year.
Fortunately, Westcott has another site in the city at Smithdown Road. The desperate decision Carl and his fellow director made was done so that they could save the jobs associated with the Fairfield site and try and absorb them into the other premises.
"If we didn't have our Smithdown Road shop, we would have had to put 16 people out of work on Sunday, thankfully we were able to save those jobs through our other site but it's very tough. We need people to come and support us," he adds.
Westcott's departure from the Liverpool Meat and Fish Market may not be the last.
