A303 bakery loses trade after busy road moves

Mrs Whittington took over the bakery from its previous owner in 1989

A traditional bakery said it had to adapt after losing traffic from a busy road.

The Bakery A303 near West Camel is no longer next to the A303, after a new-built stretch of the road opened further away.

Joy Whittington, who has run the bakery since 1989, said the road used to get people into the shop.

"Apart from us calling it our 'daily dance with death', it kept us going," she added.

The traffic which used to travel past the shop has now been moved to a new-built stretch of the A303, while the street in front of the bakery is only used for local access.

Mrs Whittington, 76, took over the bakery from its previous owner in 1989 with her late husband.

It had been running since at least 1910, she told BBC Radio Somerset, "judging by the age of the ovens".

She still uses old recipes and methods from the former owner and has since only added sourdough to the menu.

People who have driven past the bakery would have known the shop by the bread rolls that were displayed outside on a table by the road.

"The A303 kept us going," Mrs Whittington said.

The bakery still uses old recipes and methods from the former owner

Now the new stretch of the A303 is open, it is further away from the bakery.

Mrs Whittington said she was worried the route to the bakery was not clearly signed, meaning people will not find them.

Still, she believes they "will be alright".

"We carried on until now and we will carry on again," she said.

They started offering deliveries, to balance the loss of trade.

"People have supported us and it's been good," Mrs Whittington said.