A year after the closure of a Weymouth community's last supermarket tradespeople and shoppers say the area is 'crying out' for a new shop – amid rumours that the site is to be taken over by a national chain of discount stores.

The Budgens store that occupied Littlemoor Shopping Centre's largest site closed around this time last year, and the premises have remained empty and shuttered since. Budgens parent company the Food Retail Group bought the property in 2016 from the Co-op chain, which had acquired it from Somerfield – and now residents and local shop workers alike say the area sorely lacks a supermarket.

Ken and Jean Baggaley said the then existence of a supermarket had persuaded them to move to Littlemoor two years ago.

"My husband is disabled," said Mrs Baggaley. "It's very difficult for us to get on a bus. And there hasn't been a supermarket for most of the time we've lived here."

"We really do need a proper shop," added Mr Baggaley. "We're crying out for one. This area has a large population and they're building more houses."

Staff at Rowlands Pharmacy, meanwhile, said their trade had been noticeably quieter since the Budgens store shut last year.

"They're not providing a service for the community," said Kris Ainger.

Her colleague Leah Moulsdale, herself a long-time resident of Littlemoor, meanwhile pointed to the difficulties of ensuring a healthy diet, including fresh fruit and vegetables, without a supermarket in the suburb.

"It's tough with a teenager and a seven-year-old," she said. "It's £10 for a return to town [on the bus]."

"I think it's terrible," added another staff member, Tracy Pugh. "We need fresh fruit and vegetables. As a pharmacy, we see the results if people don't have a healthy diet."

The pharmacy staff's comments were echoed by the manager of Elegance Hair & Beauty Studio, Jodie Symes, who added that the rumoured Home Bargains store had divided opinions in the area.

"People feel a bit miffed. There's nowhere to buy vegetables and fruit, and a discount store won't change that.

"But I think it's better than having the shop empty - at the moment it doesn't look nice. Hopefully we'll have more passing trade once it opens."

Contacted by the Echo, a spokesman for Home Bargains said: “While we don’t have anything to announce at the moment, we’d encourage people to register on our careers website so we can contact them if roles become available in their region. As a result of our constant growth, we’re always looking for new staff across the county."