A SHOP in a Bury St Edmunds street where there was a major fire in June has been forced to close again.

Scarlet in the Traverse was one of a number of businesses in the vicinity which had to shut temporarily due to the devastating blaze at 17th-Century Cupola House, which is home to Strada restaurant.

But the shoe shop has now had to close again due to an ongoing structural problem at the back of the building, which leads onto Skinner Street, which has got worse.

Scarlet owner Kate Palliser is trying to remain positive in light of the latest setback - which meant the store was closed over the August Bank Holiday weekend - choosing to use the time to refurbish inside and restock.

She said: “You cannot blame people, you have just got to get on and do it.”

She said she was “absolutely exhausted” with dealing with the aftermath of the fire, but hopefully building work to restore Grade I-Listed Cupola House would start in the spring. “Everyone is pulling out all the stops to get things moving as quickly as possible.”

She said her customers had been “fabulously supportive” and all the traders in the Traverse had pulled together to ensure the street does not lose its appeal to shoppers, and is in fact better than it was before.

Robert Everitt, cabinet member for Bury St Edmunds at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said: “The British are very good in adversity and we all get together and pull together and make it work. The Traverse fire has been a case in point.”

Yesterday, Scarlet had been closed for 10 days and it is due to reopen tomorrow or Friday.Visit Scarlet’s Facebook page which is called Scarlet Shoes.