STAFF at one of Wellington’s oldest funeral directors have thanked residents for their long-term support after it was closed suddenly.

The former Thomas Brothers funeral directors, which was established in the 1960s in West Buckland, was closed to the surprise of staff and customers last week.

The closure of the Wellington branch, which was partially incorporated under the ‘Nigel K Ford’ brand last year, leaves H Tredwin and Son as the only remaining funeral director in the town.

Owner Nick Tredwin said the news came as a shock to him, and that he was sad to see the back of the rival business. He said: “I’m very sorry to hear about the closure, we do need competition, it keeps everybody on their toes.

“Being a long-established business like ourselves I think we prefer that to lots of new ones coming in for five minutes.”

The Wellington Weekly has been informed staff were officially told the business was considering a proposal to close and that jobs were at risk for the first time on Monday, May 20.

However, a source close to the business claims they were unofficially told the decision to close the former Thomas Brothers had already been made, and staff were given two weeks to clear the High Street building. It is understood one of the three employees was made redundant as a result.

The Wellington Weekly also heard how the funeral directors encountered some difficulty since its rebrand - which saw the Thomas Brothers name remain above the door, but the business rebranded online. It was a decision a former staff member claimed had caused confusion not just with customers, but even with the mortuary and coroners.

A former staff member claimed the business remained profitable and that the closure decision had been made to retrieve equity from the brick and mortar value of the business. Dignity denied this saying there was “no truth” in it, and that they were in the process of closing businesses which are no longer commercially viable.

It comes after Dignity was taken over in a £281million deal last year by a consortium of investment firms. The consortium, known as Valderrama, was reported at the time to have pledged a significant cash injection into the business, amid a tough time for the industry.

In a statement a spokesperson for Dignity said: “We have been honoured to serve bereaved families in Wellington and would like to thank all the clients that have entrusted us to care for them and their loved ones. However, we’ve taken the difficult decision to close the business on Friday, May 31. 

“Prior to closing our branch in Wellington, we will ensure all our customer’s needs are met, including writing to those that have purchased a funeral plan to explain their options. 

“As far as practical, when we close a branch our colleagues will be offered a similar role at another Dignity business. Where this is not possible, we will support those people with coaching, mentoring and well-being provision to help them secure alternative employment.”