A CHARITY shop has had to close for months because of major damage to the floorboards.

The Sue Ryder branch in Highworth will be shut for the foreseeable future until the problem is sorted out.

A Facebook post by one of the volunteers claims the repairs will cost up to £100,000 and that the High Street property might not open again until April.

Another volunteer told the Adver: "Things are moving at a glacial pace and we all want to get back to fundraising."

The beams inside the building were found to be structurally unsound and rotten after the manager fell through the floor and injured her leg, the post claimed.

A charity spokesperson would not confirm those details but added: “The Sue Ryder Highworth shop will be closed for the foreseeable future while we carry out some essential repair works to the shop floorboards.

“Our shop staff and volunteers have all been redeployed to other local Sue Ryder shops until the Highworth shop is able to reopen next year.”

The charity has branches in Old Town, Royal Wootton Bassett, and Cricklade which are mainly run by volunteers and help to raise money for the palliative, neurological and bereavement services the medical team provides.

Around 1,000 doctors and nurses support people who are living with a terminal illness, a neurological condition or who have lost someone they love.

This help is provided at client's homes, and at hospices and neurological care centres.

It costs £55 million a year for the charity to continue its work.