STROUD residents have leapt to the defence of a popular independent shop after it came under fire for selling real animal fur.

Boutique woman’s clothing store Eclipse drew criticism on its Facebook page for selling a number of Pom Pom hats lined with rabbit fur.

Eclipse, usually well-known for its ethically sourced and Fair Trade products, has since apologised for any 'upset' and said it had stopped selling the hats with 'immediate effect'.

In a statement the owners admitted an ‘error of judgement’ and said: “It was never our intention to offend or upset anyone especially our loyal customers.

“The fur trimmed Pom Pom hats in our store were bought in good faith.

“When we realised the fur was rabbit we took the decision to sell the hats but make each and every customer aware of what they were made from before they bought them - which we did.

“However in light of the upset caused we will be withdrawing the hats from sale with immediate effect.”

While the shop’s social media page drew some criticism, many more Stroud residents and business defended the long-standing and popular independent and praised them for quickly taking the hats off the shelves.

Charlie Bootle said: “Sorry to hear you have been getting grief Eclipse.

“You are a wonderful store with lovely staff and management. Errors of judgement should be treated as such and let go.”

After the hats were retracted, Sue Barr said: “That's fantastic news. There is no reason why anyone needs to wear the fur of a dead animal. Well done Eclipse for realising that fur is unacceptable.”

Jenny Kempson added: “That's great customer service that you didn't have to do.

“You informed people and they made a choice. I'm personally glad you're not selling them but can't stand the vitriol on here when you've done the right thing.

“I'm a vegan for ethical reasons and think this has been blown out of proportion. Lovely shop and staff, even lovelier now.”

Trev Thomas said: “I originally reviewed Eclipse and gave it a very poor review because it was selling items that had fur on them.

“They've since stopped stocking these items and have said they will never stock fur products again.

“For that alone they deserve the highest praise and accordingly I’ve changed my review from one star to five.”

Eclipse, a staple of Stroud High Street, sells boutique ladies fashion and has been trading for many years.