NAILSEA could become a ghost town if businesses do not start working together, a business woman has warned.

NAILSEA could become a 'ghost town' if businesses do not start working together, a business woman has warned.

Nailsea Chamber of Trade chairman Gilly Chu believes shops in the town need to start supporting each other or businesses will move out.

The group is on the brink of closure due to a lack of members and Gilly believes apathy is killing the town.

Over the past three years the chamber of trade has lost more than 50 per cent of its members and business owners are being urged to sign up to the scheme to save the town.

Gilly, of Gilly's Cafe in Nailsea High Street, said: "Ronto's, another big store, is moving out of the town. There are more and more empty units, Nailsea is becoming a ghost town.

"Businesses need to start supporting each other or Nailsea is going to be filled with charity shops, hairdressers and estate agents.

"There's a great deal of apathy here. Businesses don't seem to be interested in working together."

The chamber of trade holds quarterly meetings and members support each other by passing on information about new laws, promoting each other's stores and holding social events.

The group produces a newsletter to keep members and other businesses up to date, but Gilly is also keen to find other ways to link traders in the town and draw in more customers.

Gilly said: "We want to try to raise the profile of traders in the town.

"There's a diverse amount of shopping that can be done but we are not selling ourselves as a town.

"We also need more traders to start looking at Nailsea as a place to set up so there's a bigger range of stores on offer for shoppers."

The group gets together at Gilly's Cafe and members will be holding their next meeting in January.

Anyone interested in going along can call Gilly on 07720 590926.