A beloved antique shop in Cumbria is set to remain open after its owner had a change of heart about closing down. 

Spotty Dawgs Antique and Used Furniture shop is hugely popular with the people of Longtown and boasts a wide array of products, while it is also a willing buyer from people who are happy to sell.

Local residents were hugely disappointed to hear the news that owner Andrew Scott was planning to close the store, as he struggled with the strain of running things by himself.

However, he took to Facebook on Sunday night to announce that it would remain open, and he instead planned to close the shop for two months each year, to give him the opportunity to travel.

He said: "I don't mind admitting, the day-to-day running of the shop on my own, has become quite a strain and I was in two minds as to continue trading after the end of the year.

"But to be honest, I don't think I can walk away from something that has grown to what it is now.

"We have put our heads together and come up with the following plan. 

"From the coming January 2024, we will be closing the shop from January to March each year. Then we will be back open for trading from April to December. 

"This is to allow us to do what we need to before we got to a certain age, where we just can't do as much. We will be spending some time away out the country, firstly off to the south of France. We are already planning our journey.

"The amount of you that have come into the shop recently and expressed your disappointment that we were planning to close, it's quite a heartwarming thing and thank you all. 

"So there you have it, we are staying where we are."