Hunt's Motor Garage in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, has closed.

The Peugeot franchisee, which had represented the French marque since 1977, has closed its showroom and sold the premises.

“We’re in old premises and we’ve been here 90 years. Things are difficult and an offer came in that we couldn’t refuse,” Paul Snare, a director, told the Herts and Essex Observer.

“The industry is very much changing and, if you’re part of a franchise, most dealerships now are made of steel and glass.”

AM100 top 10 dealer group Vertu Motors operates a Bristol Street Peugeot dealership some six miles away at Harlow, while Peugeot's own dealer group, Robins and Day, has a showroom 16 miles away at Chelmsford.

In a statement, the garage acknowledged its history and said that the closure was “unfortunate” for its long-standing employees.

It concluded: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank our many loyal customers for the support they have given us over the years and we are genuinely saddened at the prospect of parting company with them.”