A Palmers Green film rental store has closed down after 30 years as a fixture on the high street, blaming competition on the internet.

Arun Raichura, 56, owner of Video Fair in Green Lanes, said he had to close his DVD rental shop last week after more people turned to websites to download films.

But the businessman said he was proud to have served the area for three decades and vowed to return to the high street soon with a property business.

He said: “It’s not really the current economic conditions. We’ve had to deal with the rise of cheap DVDs and the internet slowly taking away our business.

“It’s the end of an era – people are saying how sorry they are that our shop is closing after being here for so long, but in the last two years it just wasn’t working.

“But I’m going to bounce back – when you’re in business you don’t give up and I will come back and start again with something new.”

The business, which opened in April 1982, was forced to downsize three years ago from a bigger premises across the road in a bid to reduce costs, but its new home has not worked out.

Mr Raichura said that the shop’s three staff had all found new jobs or were heading to university.

Last month, a group of businesses in Green Lanes warned that a combination of high business rates and roadworks on the A406 meant that traders were “on their last legs”.