THERE is no doubt that the village in the city is looking a little down-at-heel these days. One by one, the shops that once brought such vibrancy to St John's have disappeared, bringing a derelict feel to the area. The Worcester News has always enjoyed a special relationship with the people who live "o'er the river," and we would like to think the sentiments are reciprocated. It is for these reasons that we view with growing alarm a trend that shows no signs of abating.

It appears that a number of these empty properties are owned by a supermarket chain. These days, this is a standard speculative strategy employed by conglomerates which play a waiting game, only to pounce when the planning time is right.

However, in the meantime, the residents and remaining traders must suffer in silence, longing for the day when either the giant superstore makes a move, or gives up waiting and goes elsewhere.

By any stretch of the imagination, this is highly unsatisfactory. We are not immune to the realities of commerce and business life, yet we would question the wisdom of local authorities apparently allowing a situation to develop whereby whole streets become blighted.

Of course, charity shops may temporarily bridge the gap. But while we have no problem with them as such, such enterprises do not help to encourage sound commercial environments. The truth is that St John's needs small businesses for its lifeblood and Worcester City Council needs to adopt policies that acknowledge this fact.