SO HERE we are again. It is with a heavy heart we bring you the latest update on Oxford’s deteriorating shopping scene.

Today we feature one of the city’s most treasured retail quarters – Little Clarendon Street.

A combination of problems has signalled the death knell for two shops, both closing in the last few weeks.

Meanwhile, two more are set to pull down the shutters for the last time.

And, it seems, other shopkeepers are feeling the pinch.

When you weigh up the impact of a recession, soaring rents, a pitiful Christmas hit by bad weather and roadworks, it is hardly surprising.

It doesn’t matter how many times we are urged to shop local.

The bad news keeps coming.

So, what is the answer?

Communities do take pride in their local shops.

But we must be given an incentive to use them above the chains, and that means cheaper prices.

That can only happen when landlords offer a break on horrendously high rents.

It is a vicious circle.

And, when a big coffee shop firm or supermarket chain can afford to stump up the cash, there is no competition.