Watford town centre suffered a major blow in June after Debenhams confirmed it was permanently closing its flagship store.

Employees at the intu Watford store were told via a conference call the shop would not be reopening, the Watford Observer understood.

Debenhams says it had been unable to agree a new rent with its landlord, intu.

Debenhams only opened the store in September 2018 as part of the £180 million extension at intu Watford.

The future of the shopping centre was in doubt later in the month when intu tumbled into administration after failed crunch talks with its lenders.

The shopping centre owner said it has applied to appoint administrators from KPMG, after warning that it was on the verge of collapse.

The confirmation came minutes after the London Stock Exchange suspended shares in the listed firm.

However, the company said its shopping centres would continue to trade for the time being despite its insolvency.

In more positive retail news, a supermarket giant announced it was on the lookout for new store locations in Hertfordshire.

Aldi said it wanted to open 11 new stores in different towns in the county, as it targets having 1,200 open by 2025.

The supermarket said a few areas it is targeting include Harpenden and Hitchin and said a St Albans store is due to open in September.

Watford Observer: Demonstrators at Shenley Primary School. The land in question is behind.Demonstrators at Shenley Primary School. The land in question is behind.

Furious parents protested at a primary school after learning a substantial part of a school field had been sold to the village’s parish council chairman.

The head teacher at Shenley Primary School, Kate Fiddler, revealed to parents in a newsletter that she had been told the school would be losing a part of its field - which is home to a well-used outdoor learning space and a community fundraised sculpture - but the letter did not say why.

On Facebook, posts then revealed that the Shenley Parish Council chairman, Cllr William Susman had bought the land, alongside a neighbour.

There was immediate anger shared by parents on Facebook and they demanded more clarity and answers from Cllr Susman.