Our once-thriving high street is now a ghost town – shops have been empty for months and restaurants have closed

A ONCE-thriving shopping hot spot is now full of boarded-up shops after they were forced to close.

The Moor in Sheffield ressembles a ghost town these days after a flurry of store shutdowns.

The closure of department store Debenham’s two years ago catalysed a list of other outlets to cease operations, putting a dampener on a once buzzing pocket of the South Yorkshire city.

Surveying The Moor, a total of nine units were reported empty, including two premises in the area of Moorfoot,

It comes after reports of a number of major retailers shutting up shop across hundreds of UK high streets.

Some 15,000 stores are expected to close this year, according to the Centre for Retail Research.

Combined with high energy costs and a shift to shopping online after the pandemic – many high street shops have struggled to keep open.

Energy and fuel costs have all been hit by a pandemic hangover, the war in Ukraine and a shortage of essential workers which has put immense pressure on businesses.

Within Sheffield, Bill’s restaurant recently went to the wall.

The Lisboa Cafe & Patisserie’s Peace Gardens branch also went under – citing “rising costs” and “dropping footfall” for its reason to close.

The city’s stand alone department store, Atkinsons, recently issued a desperate plea for customers to put their hand in their pocket before the store meets the same fate.

However, there has been an encouraging push back against the doom and gloom of closures.

The ever-popular Five Guys burger restaurant opened on The Moor last summer.

Sports Direct also welcomed in customers at the former TJ Hughes department store.