The proposed closure of Cineworld has “ripped out the heart” of a struggling town centre, Swindonians say.

The Adver went out to gauge people’s reaction Cineworld’s plan to close its Regent Circus site as part of a wider restructuring plan which it hopes to carry out in September.

Multiple moviegoers were shocked to learn of its impending closure, calling it “the best cinema in town”.

One film fan who had a Cineworld Unlimited car said: “It's just not convenient to go all the way out to [the other Cineworld in] Shaw Ridge, a lot of people don’t drive.”

Kristal used to work in the Morrisons that fills Regent Circus’ ground floor and has remained empty since the supermarket shut in November 2019.

She said: “I used to come here after my morning shifts, now I’ll have to go miles out to see anything.

“It’s more than a place to watch films, it’s a place to meet friends. There’s no longer anywhere to go out.”

On social media, Cllr Mike Davies described the news as “another blow to the town centre.”

One passerby told the Adver shared their concerns for the knock-on effect on other businesses that are still trading in the Regent Circus complex.

In recent years. the wider town centre area has also seen the closure of Starbucks, Schuh, Football Fiesta, Wilko, and Marks and Spencer.

Local Harry said: “There’s nothing left in the town centre anymore.”

As for the town centre’s future, there was little optimism or enthusiasm about the coming months.

One source who did not wish to give their name said: “Morale is at its lowest, we’ve been hoping for rejuvenation for a long time but there’s been no investment.”

This view was echoed by another local who reminisced about how the town centre used to feel, adding: “I left school in the early 90s, people would go out a lot more then, now it’s a zombie town.”

When the Adver asked what these people would like to see replace the Cineworld once it does close in the autumn, most of them gave the same answer – another cinema.

Around this time last year, the Empire Cinema in Greenbridge closed at short notice after the multiplex chain collapsed into administration, though Vue later took over the site.

Cineworld hopes that its restructuring plan, if approved by the courts, will put the company into a more sustainable position and avoid financial ruin.