With just days to go it would seem there is no chance that Morrisons can be saved despite a second petition launched by a group of residents pleading for the supermarket to remain on the site.

The Burnham supermarket is set to close on Sunday at 4pm leaving around 100 people out of work. Morrisons have repeatedly refused to save the store as it also closes several other outlets across the country which is says are unviable. A last ditch appeal from the MP James Heappey fell on deaf ears as did attempts by the Town Council and Sedgemoor to retain the shop.

Town centre manager Beverley Milner Symonds said: “The impact of the closure on local residents and staff will be immediate, but the wider impact on the town will only be measured in the longer term. The car park and the other 211 businesses in the town centre remain open and are looking forward to buoyant Christmas trading.”

A spokesman from Burnham Chamber of Trade said: "The Chamber regrets the final closure of Morrisons and is ready to work with the landlord and Morrisons (as it retains a ten year lease on the site) as well as the Town Centre Manager and other interested parties to find a viable future for the site as soon as possible. The Chamber urges its members to publicise widely any job vacancies to ensure that those losing their jobs know of the local employment opportunities."

A quarter of a century ago the store opened trading as Somerfield, but now it is set to shut leaving the town with a retailing hole as there will no longer be a supermarket in the town centre. Alternatives exist in the smaller Lidl store off Oxford Street, Tesco on Ben Travers Way and Asda in Highbridge. Morrisons will retain their stores in Bridgwater and Worle along with the vast distribution centre alongside the M5 just down the road - which is a puzzle to many.

A Morrisons spokesperson said: "We have looked extremely carefully at whether our store in Burnham-On-Sea can be turned around but unfortunately we cannot see a way of making it viable."

The store told Mr Heappey that the shop would close as it did not make enough money. Despite a high footfall the average spend of customers was lower than expected and more in line with a smaller convenience store. They have consistently denied the store was closing because of a hike in rent from the London-based landlord.

However Morisons face relegation from the prospect of relegation from the FTSE 100 this month according to the Daily Telegraph. They said the stock broker firm Jefferies believed the poor trading figures could see the grocer, “being booted out of Britain’s benchmark index on December 2 when the FTSE EMEA Committee reviews the constituent positions of the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250.”

There’s been more bad news for the store nationally as sales have dipped by just over two percent in the last quarter although the firm says it has stopped the rot compared to the equivalent quarter last year when they slipped by six percent. Morrisons has scrapped a costly promotion scheme, ditched Ant and Dec in its adverts, closed 21 stores, chopped more than 700 office staff and sold 140 convenience stores in order to turn the company around.

Mike Murphy of the Highbridge Chamber of Commerce said he believes the closure of the Burnham store is more to do with the supermarket’s national problems and not a low spending Burnham.

He said: “Morrisons are in danger of dropping out of the top ten supermarkets and the FTSE 100. We are very sorry to see it close as I’ve spoken to people who work at the store and many have said they are having problems finding a new job. It is an opportunity for another supermarket to take on the site or if someone developed a leisure complex with a bowling alley and a skating rink I’d be delighted.”

He said the biggest losers apart from the staff are older people in the Marine Drive area who didn’t drive and who could walk to the store.

Town Councillor Paul Young who lives on Highbridge Road said the store would be missed and future usage of the site had been discussed which included the possibility of either a retail or leisure unit replacing Morrisons. He said: “My wife and I are regular shoppers there and it’s a shame as it is a very well run store and the staff are very good.”

Sedgemoor own the car park at the site. An insider told the Weekly News they were concerned the closure would affect their takings from the pay and display shoppers. Although bullish sounds have been made by the district council there is no news as to who may take on the building when it closes or whether it could be redeveloped as flats.

Should the site be redeveloped into luxury retirement flats or is it time Burnham had a seafront leisure centre to attract visitors throughout the year? Your views to harry.mottram@nqsw.co.uk