A MAJOR High Street chain has announced it is cutting the opening hours of its store on Hereford's Old Market development.

Fashion store H&M will now be closing 90 minutes earlier at 6.30pm four days a week, marking the first major drop in hours on the £90 million complex which opened less than a year ago.

Old Market bosses say it is common for new stores to alter their opening times once "shopping patterns are understood".

One leading councillor, however, fears many of the major stores may even leave the site in the future.

"I am sad to hear about this but I think it's a case of 'we told you so'," said Cllr Liz Harvey, the deputy leader of the It's Our County party which opposed the development.

"We said from the start that you have got to get things in order.

"When the perks for the anchor tenants run out I doubt they will be there.

"We've heard all this nonsense about good footfall where you count the same person countless times."

The Ledbury-based councillor said although the development had created jobs, workers were not necessarily better off.

"What we want is to get good salaried and skilled jobs coming to the area," she added.

The changed opening hours will see H&M close at 6.30pm, instead of 8pm, each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

H&M, which moved to the Old Market from Commercial Street last year, will maintain the same weekend opening hours meaning it will trade from 9am-7pm on a Saturday and 10.30am-5pm on a Sunday.

A spokesperson for Old Market said: "In any new scheme, opening hours will always be revisited at a point where the shopping patterns are understood.

"The store will still be offering late shopping until 8pm on Wednesdays and 7pm on Saturdays."

There are currently five empty Old Market units. Two others - fashion chain Seasalt and restaurant Wildwood - open this month.

Old Market bosses this week denied shoe chain Office was due to move in.