South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has expressed his disappointment and concern after hearing that the deal to save Wilko has fallen through, meaning all 400 stores across the UK will close

The homeware retailer, which has branches in Ayr, Castle Douglas and Hamilton, fell into administration in August and a bid to save at least some of the stores fell through this week.

On Monday, administrators PwC said that “despite extensive efforts” it had become clear that “no significant part of the Wilko operations can be rescued”.

This means shops will close next month and 12,500 workers across the UK are likely to lose their jobs.

Colin Smyth said: “This is devastating news for Wilko’s staff and their families, especially after it looked like a deal might have been done to save the retailer.

“The past few years have been awful for our high streets and with Wilko closing, it is yet more terrible news.

“Our town centres have traditionally been the heartbeat of our communities, bringing people together to live, work, shop and socialise.

“However, they are under pressure and under threat, with big chains pulling out and local shops being undercut by online shopping, leaving too many high streets dominated by ‘to let’ signs.

“In the longer term we need action from the Scottish Government in order to save our high streets from further closures.”