It survived the Napoleonic and world wars - but now a village shop has been defeated by the motor car.

Parking chaos has forced a Kelvedon newsagent's to close after more than 200 years.

Shopkeeper Valerie Deacon and son David, who own the shop, will sell their last newspapers on Saturday.

The shutters will come down at Deacons, in High Street, for good in two weeks. Parking problems outside the shop are blamed for the decline in trade.

Mrs Deacon, 70, has been a regular fixture behind the counter for 33 years, but says her calls for tough new parking restrictions have fallen on deaf ears.

She said: "I've been to hell and back with this business and, at times, it's been a hell of a struggle. I don't think many 70-year-old people would be able to get up at the crack of dawn to lug heavy papers around.

"But you don't give something like this up easily after all that time. It's the parking problem more than anything else which helped me reach the decision. David doesn't feel he can take the business on knowing they'll never do anything about it.

No news is bad news - shop owners Valerie Deacon and her son David

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