A PET shop owner says he is calling it quits because of stress and competition from big discount stores.

Kaywoods Pets, in Clacton, has been in business for 48 years.

Paul Cremer, 51, has run the reptile and aquatic centre for four of those years, alongside Morgans Pets in Harwich.

But now Kaywoods has closed indefinitely while the Harwich shop is expanding into new premises.

Mr Cremer, who started in Witham with a koi carp and reptile centre, said: “Business is virtually impossible with all the big discount stores.

“They have all the top-selling products and what smaller shops like mine sell isn’t common enough to survive on.

“There’s B&M, Wilko and I hear Pets At Home is coming to Clacton next year, so I decided to get out while it’s my own choice.

“Plus I’ve had staffing problems. There is lots of crime here and while I’ve never lost money, the stress of running two shops 15 miles apart became too much for me.”

A few years ago masked burglars broke in to his former Old Road shop, which is now a Pizza Hut.

Although the incident was captured on CCTV, no prosecutions were ever made.

Mr Cremer lived in Tiptree at the time and said Clacton was totally different.

He said: “All the cameras in the world didn’t help me at all.

“It was also a massive shop with a huge rent, which was another problem.

“I love Clacton and will stay living here because there’s a lot of positives, but there’s also lots of struggling shops.

“Quite a lot are up for sale and for a pitiful amount of money, which says an awful lot about what’s going on.

“It’s sad for me to close because I took over from the previous owners who went bankrupt, but I’ve had to downsize for my own wellbeing.”

To celebrate the Harwich expansion, an open day with bush tucker trials, a snake display and the first look at a purpose-built barracuda cave with fish and reptiles is being held at the High Street store.

The free family event takes place this Saturday from 9am until 5pm, with face painting, competitions and children’s games.