IT IS completely outrageous that Stroud’s high street has been ranked as 493rd out of 500 high streets in Britain.

Although it may not have the same grandeur as Cheltenham, or foot traffic as Bristol, Stroud has its own uniqueness which should be celebrated rather than criticised.

Obviously the town has a fantastic collection of independent shops and cafes and let’s not forget the award winning farmers’ market – but Stroud is so much more than that.

On Friday there is the Shambles Market selling affordable meat, fish, fruit and vegetables and a collection of antiques, crockery and other household items.

And on any given Saturday a walk through the high street could lead to an encounter with a protester campaigning against trees being cut down, or a band of teenage musicians playing the latest hits followed directly by an 80-year-old harmonica player.

At the end of the day there’s always something to see on Stroud high street if you take the time to look – clearly Harper Dennis Hobbs were not paying enough attention.

In a survey carried out by the SNJ the majority of those asked had mainly thought positively about the town, praising it for its ‘quirky’, ‘friendly’ atmosphere and the great variety of bars and cafes.

There’s no denying the high street could do with a few less phone shops and a few more men’s wear stores but this shouldn’t put it in the bottom 50 high streets in the country.

Yes improvements could be made and the suggestion of a ‘facelift’ has some merit but let’s do this without sacrificing the character of the town.

This is a huge part of what attracts shoppers to Stroud and without it we have nothing different to offer than the other 500 high streets on this list.