Keep your shop doors closed says Lib Dem MEP. (Garston and Halewood Liberal Democrats)

Garston and Halewood Liberal Democrats <info@garstonld.org.uk>

Keep your shop doors closed says Lib Dem MEP.

April 15, 2008 12:00 AM

Chris Davies MEP North West shops should keep their doors shut in a bid to save money and the environment, claims a local Euro-MP.

Increasing numbers of retailers leave their entrances wide open to attract customers while turning up their heating to keep the store warm.

Estimates suggest that shops waste around £300 million each year because their doors are left open, many could slash their energy bills by 20-25% if they closed them. The excess use of energy is also contributing to climate change but could be solved by simply shutting the door and keeping the heat in.

Automated doors that stay open longer than necessary or which are overly sensitive to movement, are also branded as culprits by energy saving campaigners.

Euro-MP Chris Davies, Liberal Democrat environment spokesman in the European Parliament, has written to high street retailers asking them to close their doors.

He said: "I have heard both shop staff and customers complaining on windy days about icy air whistling in through open doors. The policy is madness and I hope retailers will wake up to the waste.

"Open doors are intended to entice customers to step inside. But with the United Nations predicting that billions will suffer from the effects of global warming it is morally indefensible to waste energy in this way."

Public opinion is changing and organisations like Close The Door (www.closethedoor.org.uk) are gaining support. The group has successfully lobbied fashion chain Jaeger to bring in a closed-door policy and is asking other retailers to follow suit.

Jeannie Dawkins, chair of Close the Door, says the campaign to encourage retailers to change their ways is going from strength to strength.

She says: "We are delighted that Chris Davies is supporting our Close the Door campaign, in particular by writing to the head offices of large chains.

"We find that small independent shops want to save energy and are very receptive to our encouragement to them to close their doors. But shops belonging to large chains are told to keep their doors open by their head offices. The people at the top need to practice what they preach on their websites, and follow through their commitments to protect the environment by closing their doors."

The Liberal Democrat Euro-MP claims a prominent sign on shop doors is all it takes to encourage shoppers to browse.

He said: "Retailers can display a prominent sign telling shoppers they are open. They might also like to tell people that by keeping the door closed they can cut costs and lower prices while saving the environment."

The 'Close the Door' campaign is based in Cambridge and now achieving national scope