Many people who have taken their jewellery into Solomon's Fine Jewellers for repairs over the past 33 years have apparently never bothered to pick it up - and the store is asking clients to collect those items by today.

The Front Street store is set to close within weeks and is looking to clear the backlog of repaired items.

Manager Alan Porter said yesterday: "We still have some items that were brought in for repair in the 1970s. They include earrings, rings and bracelets."

The store had advertised widely to inform customers of the pending deadline. If the items remain unclaimed, then they may be sold to cover the cost of the repairs, Mr. Porter said.

Some media reports have suggested that the store is closing today, but Mr. Porter said that was not the case. "We'll be closing in a few weeks," he said. "We haven't set a date yet."

The reason for the closure is nothing to do with any impact from the economic downturn - instead it is a case of all four of the staff members having reached retirement age.

"Trade has been very good," Mr. Porter said, adding that the last few months sales were at historic norms for the store. "Times have not been hard for everybody."

Solomon's has been in business since 1976.