1965

They wanted all town centre shops to observe closure on Sunday and all-day on Tuesdays.

Larne and District Traders’ Association wrote to Larne Borough Council to ask if the local authority was prepared enforce existing by-laws to make Tuesday closure compulsory.

However, the council told the association that present legislation did not cover the enforcement of all-day closure.

Roy Fulton, chairman of the association, said: “Some of the members feel that if the case was outlined at Stormont, the ministry would carry out a survey among shopkeepers, housewives and workers in the town and if it discovers almost one hundred per cent support for all-day Tuesday closing for every shop in the town, then the government could instruct that the by-law could be altered accordingly.”

All-day Tuesday closure had been introduced in Larne earlier that year.

Mr Fulton said: “We do not like to see shop closures while premises next door are still open.”