A second temporary street closure could be considered in Helston town centre, as the town looks at ways to boost trade and keep shoppers safe.

It was revealed at last night's Helston Town Council meeting that further talks would be taking place regarding the possibility of also closing Coinagehall Street and even other streets to traffic, although this was acknowledged to be more complex.

It would follow the three-week closure of Meneage Street to vehicles between 10am and 4pm Monday to Saturday, starting this Monday and continuing until July 11.

When suggested by a member of the public that businesses in other streets may feel disadvantaged, mayor John Martin said: "There are plans afoot to look at Coinagehall Street technically, to look how viable it is.

"There are more complications with that I think, as well as Wendron Street and Church Street."

Town projects manager Martin Searle said Cornwall Council had told the council to put this in place would require a diversion from the top of Church Street around the town to the bottom of Monument Road, and it did not currently have to the capacity to put out the necessary signs.

But he added: "I think we are sympathetic to being able to do something to help in those streets as well."

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Closing Coinagehall Street under the same system as Meneage Street was supported by Natasha Mossayebi, who owns The Coffee Hut Helston on that street.

She said: "I just think a trial would be so welcome. I would the first to hold my hands up if it didn't work, but I think we need to do something."

Another man said he had been shopping almost solely in the town centre since 1965 and he believed pedestrianising Helston and "trying to revitalise it" would be a "wonderful idea."

However, Tina Chapman-Dalley, who owns Sands Boutique in Meneage Street, said she had experienced the pedestrianisation of Redruth town centre as a retailer and "we lost 75 per cent of our takings overnight.

"Like a lot of businesses in Redruth we were forced to close."

She said that she was disappointed businesses had not been consulted over the road closure and said she hoped to see no extension of it after three weeks, adding that she would like to see feasibility studies and that as a disabled driver and businesswoman she would not be able to get to her own shop.

Mr Martin said the council hoped to give her "as best access as we can" and said there would be a questionnaire that business owners would be involved in.

One man questioned whether it would have been possible to have a one-way pavement system and a 5mph speed limit in Meneage Street, instead of closing it to traffic, but councillors pointed out it was the narrow width of the pavements that was the health and safety issue, as people would be forced to walk into the road to keep a two-metre distance from others queuing to get in shops - many of which currently had a one or two customer maximum limit.

Mr Martin said that it would also be a question of enforcing any one-way system - although the member of the public pointed out that people were "managing very well" to social distance in supermarkets and outside Spar.

Physiotherapist Melissa Benyon was in support of the closure, saying: "I think we have to be really mindful that there are quite a lot of people that don't have to same agility in the community and we want to make sure they don't feel excluded from their town.

"I'm in whole support of pedestrianising the town for public safety and looking at the potential positive impact on businesses."

Ian Fitter said it was it was important to "not confuse the short-term with the long-term," adding: "A lot of people have interpreted this as the town council moving forward with a long-term pedestriansiation plan.

"But that's not what we're doing right now."

And Jules Lewis said he appreciated how much work the council members and staff had put in to respond quickly to a serious situation.