THE owner of a Poole town centre shop which sells Buddha-related products, aromatherapy oils, candles and incense says he will not be closing for the second lockdown.

Chris Kettle, managing director of Happy Buddha, told the Echo he hasn't received any notice that he has to close and – unlike during the first lockdown when he did shut his Poole High Street shop – this time around he has not received any grant or financial support.

"I have eleven members of staff to consider and they support their families," Chris said. "This time we are left in a situation where we have all the bills to pay with no financial support.

"So it was either a case of closing, then everyone is out of a job, or fight on through and hopefully recover something at the end of it."

The shop has been visited by Covid marshals and contacted by BCP Council environmental health officers during the pandemic, but Chris insists his service is an essential one.

He said: "We have received no notice from the council or from the government that we have to close, whereas the previous time we did get notification in the post.

"We have made the firm decision that we will be staying open, regardless of what Boris says.

"These jobs are essential to us, essential to our lives, our mental health.

"It supports my sister and my sister's family and her kids. It supports my sister-in-law and her kids. It helps them to pay their rent, which supports the landlords and their families.

"So I think it is essential that we do stay open. Not to mention the fact that we are essential for mental health, which is being overlooked at this time."

Chris said that since the last lockdown was lifted, he's been contacted by council officials and as far as he is aware they deemed his business safe.

"Right from the word go we refused to put the one-way stickers down, I said to them (BCP Council) I didn't want to insult my customers' intelligence by reminding them social distancing was going on - they've been told enough times.

"I said stickers don't actually protect people from anything.

"I'm sick of it, I'm getting quite angry about this now.

"It is an attack on small business and we are going to stand here and fight this."

Under the latest government regulations non-essential retail is not permitted to remain open. However, businesses providing essential goods or services – which includes food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, hardware stores, building merchants and off-licences – are allowed to stay open.