Pressure is mounting on a Romsey businessman to return clothes to scores of disgruntled customers.

Simon Wills, owner of Change Of A Dress, closed his dress agency in Bell Street earlier this year, taking with him items of clothing residents had been hoping to sell through his shop.

As previously reported in the Romsey Advertiser, desperate customers looking to recuperate their belongings or their cut of the cash say they are "at a loss" after calling, texting and emailing Mr Wills for months on end with little joy.

Some people have had their clothes successfully returned, while others have been contacted to arrange delivery. But now, Mr Wills has said those who have "maligned" him over the phone or online "will have to wait".

Since the Advertiser first reported on the standoff, more women have come forward to share their experiences.

Jan Lane took several designer items in from August 2021 to January 2022, some of which were sold. She managed to get her clothes returned via a courier, but says she has been chasing payment now for eight months.

"It's not a large amount of money, that's not what we're doing it for," she said.

"It's the principle that someone is running a business, and this is what they've done. The money I was raising from selling the clothes was actually going to charity."

In an email sent in May, Mr Wills said he would be taking the business online and that he would be launching a website "shortly".

Just shy of four months on, such a website has yet to materialise, although he insisted contractors are in the process of setting one up.

Jane Leonard gave Mr Wills several pieces of clothing to list last year, including a dress her sister had bought for £400 and worn just once.

She received payment for some of the items which sold, but said Mr Wills still has her sister's dress, despite her best efforts to get it back.

She said: "I've got three friends who had stuff in there and none of us got emails about the shop shutting and moving online. He just makes excuse after excuse.

"There's a dress agency in Winchester which is amazing. You take things in for six weeks and they list it all and give you an invoice. If something's not sold within six weeks you pick it up. It's not held for ages in warehouses."

However Mr Wills insisted he was working his way through his backlog.

Mr Wills said: "We have 1,724 registered clients, of which 1,250 were recipients of our emails which went out at the end of May and the end of June keeping them abreast with what was going on. Some people opted not to give their email, hence the discrepancy. If we ask and they're not prepared to give it, well then we're up a gumtree."

Change Of A Dress opened in Romsey in December 2020. It offered customers the chance to sell and buy clothing, or to rent items, with the shop taking a cut for the handling.

It is listed on Companies House as being run from Horsefair Mews, in The Horsefair, Romsey.

The Advertiser understands several residents have reported him to both Trading Standards and the police. Trading Standards has been approached for comment.