The Ipswich branch of Patisserie Valerie has closed permanently - just as rival coffee shop Starbucks opened its new cafe in the town centre.

Patisserie Valerie has had a cafe in the Butter Market for several years but a handwritten notice has appeared in the door saying that it is now permanently closed and that the nearest branches are in Cambridge and Norwich.

The closure comes as the new Starbucks has opened on Westgate Street next to WH Smith.

A call to Patisserie Valerie's head office led to confirmation that the cafe had closed - but no one was able to give any further information.

The closure is the latest blow to a street that has suffered seriously from business losses over recent years.

The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, BHS and Jessops all closed as part of national shut-downs while the Lakeland kitchen store pulled out of the Ancient House early last year.

The former BHS store is expected to re-open as a Frasers Group store with Sports Direct and Flannels during the summer, and Ipswich Council, which owns the Ancient House, is in early talks with possible tenants to take over what is one of the town's best-known buildings.

The closure of Patisserie Valerie is the loss of a popular cafe. The new Bon Bon independent patisserie opened at the other end of the Butter Market Street in 2020 selling cakes and pastries to take away.

Patisserie Valerie was at the centre of an accounting scandal in 2018 which forced it into administration and led to the closure of 71 of its 193 branches in 2019.

Ipswich survived - but over the last two years with the Covid lockdowns, there have been further smaller-scale closures. Now it seems that the Butter Market branch has closed its doors for the last time.