Today is the day that independent shops and businesses throughout Maldon, Burnham-on-Crouch and the villages of the district join a new same-day delivery online shopping platform.

From this morning (Tuesday, 20 April) Click it Local has launched across the Maldon district area, with shoppers able to select from any of their independent favourites - or explore others - online and, if they order before 1pm, get same-day delivery. After 1pm gets next day delivery, too.

To browse the Click it Local website you can follow the link here.

Founder and CEO of Click IT Local, Cambridge-based entrepreneur Steve Koch, told Nub News: "What we want to do is bring a whole new customer base to independent traders."

"We join it up and allow those independent businesses to reach people from outside the area that they haven't been able to before.

"Basically, shoppers want two main things: massive choice in one place and a convenience in delivery. Click It Local offers both of those."

The hope is that this new business stream will bring new income to businesses, allowing them to thrive and give new life to High Streets and village shops as they also continue to provide the real-life shopping experience and so help to maintain town centres as the central feature and focus in communities that they so often are.