Northamptonshire rain and flooding a factor in lower high street footfall

There was a 3% fall in September.

Author: Chris TatePublished 3rd Oct 2024

Figures show that last month's wet and windy conditions across Northamptonshire are likely to be behind a damping down of shopping footfall.

Fewer of us visited the high street as there's been a 3-percent fall in retail trips recorded in September, according to MRI Software data.

Last month saw heavy rainfall and flooding across Northamptonshire, with 8 flood alerts still in force today.

Jennifer Thomas from the Federation of Small Businesses in Northamptonshire, told us that small businesses are often reliant on the weather: "It doesn't just take flooding to keep people away from high streets. Bad weather can affect our businesses, our towns and highstreets. Especially those that form a really important part of tourism for the area.

"Footfall is the absolute key thing that businesses need. If you're going to run a business, especially out on a high street or a rural area, you need visitors. You need people to be coming to your area, coming to your store, your high street and keeping your business going."