A Marks and Spencer store has been scrawled with graffiti after its unpopular decision to close.

The store in Deal High Street has recently changed its front window displays to include posters saying 'It's not goodbye' along with 'This store may be closing, by you can still find us nearby'.

It comes ahead of the shop's impending closure on April 27 - a decision which was unpopular with more than 5,000 people who signed a petition.

But one shopper has taken umbrage to the wording, reacting with 'Absolute rubbish', adding 'Dover is 5.5 miles away' and 'Canterbury is 16 miles away'.

The pen markings which were visible to passers by this morning have since disguised with what appears to be black tape.

M&S has responded to the incident, saying: "Shopping habits are changing and reshaping our store estate to reflect this means making some difficult decisions.

"In Deal we hope to see lots of customers continuing to shop online and at our Dover, Westwood Cross and Canterbury stores.”

The retail giant confirmed the closure of both Deal and Ashford's stores on February 6 despite huge efforts from residents who launched both online and paper petitions.

The decision affects 45 workers in Deal and 41 in Ashford.

Many staff will be redeployed to other stores.

Read more: All the latest news from Deal