Cotton’s bakery, which has been at Bitterne Park Triangle for 47 years, is to close “until the [coronavirus] storm has passed”.

A window notice from owner Graham Cotton said that “I am left with little choice but to suspend trading.

“It is with much regret that I am forced to take this action, but we are experiencing a most catastrophic situation.”

Graham Cotton - taken during happier times in around 2014

He told bitternepark.info he felt he would either be letting his staff down by laying them off, or letting them down by putting them at risk “standing in the shop” and “handling cash, which is the worst thing you can do, and facing the public.”

“I’m hoping that by doing this, however long it takes – that’s what we don’t know, how long it’s going to take... we can be back in action again.”

“Hopefully I’ll be giving you a shout from the rafters mid-summer to tell people we’re going to be reopening in a week’s time,” he added.

Previously
Bitterne Parker: Graham Cotton