Sadness at closure of 130-year-old bakery

The owner of a bakery said it was "heartbreaking to close" after nearly 130 years in Worthing, blaming a lack of "young blood coming into the trade".

Brothers Tim and Patrick Brosnan have run Hobdens Bakery in Teville Road for 42 years but will bake their last loaf on 4 July before retiring.

However, Brosnan told BBC Radio Sussex: "I'm still hopeful that at some stage I can find someone who can take over the business, but at the moment there's nothing on the table."

Many of the customers coming to the shop said they had been coming for decades, with one saying they had even "begged" the brothers to stay open.

The 64-year-old added: "Most of it is night work starting at 1.45am, and you don't get the holidays much. It will be nice to have more free time and see my grandchildren.

"I couldn't have done all this work without my wife Jane by my side behind the scenes."

Customers said they were sad to see the bakery close.

Russ Cochran said: "It's awful, it's going to be a huge loss. I started my working life in 1994 and would come here to get my lunch."

His wife Jo Cochran added: "I even begged Tim to stay open a bit longer, this place means everything to us. I come here every morning because my son loves it.

Gareth Lowndes, 43, said: "I've been coming here 20 years, I'm pretty shocked. I use it every day, they have the nicest Jamaican patties. Even the tea and coffee is a decent price."

Will Miles, 77, said: "I came here as a child, it's always been here, you never thought it would go.

"I used to come here at 1am and see the baker next door and get hot bread."

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