A BUDDING Largs businessman has revealed how Brexit red tape left his new venture in tatters - and pushed him to the brink of a mental breakdown.

Reece Ewart couldn't get any stock for his shop Pine Marten Plants for around six weeks due to a hike in tariffs that mean suppliers wouldn’t transport goods.

He says he was left in despair and facing ruin just months after opening in the town’s Main Street.

Reece explained: “We opened up at the start of last year and everything was going great until December, when the impact of Brexit caught up with us.

“We couldn’t import any plants from Europe and I almost had a mental breakdown because I thought our business could go under.

“Our suppliers were really good but they ended up not being able to send us anything due to the spiralling costs of transport.

“Imports were completely messed up and it was an extremely worrying and stressful time."

Reece says that government grants were a lifeline as he watched his stock dwindle.

He explained: “I was calling round every plant supplier in the UK and Holland before I eventually found a company that could import to us.

“There were businesses in Glasgow but that would have been very expensive and I didn’t want to hike our prices up for customers.

“At one point we ended up with nothing sitting in the shop.

“We would have lost £4,000 in a single month if it hadn’t been able to pick up government support.”

Reece was forced to adapt his business earlier this year in order to stay open – which he says was important for his mental health.

He said: “From January until the end of the restrictions we were bringing in organic fruit and vegetables so we could stay open and survive.

“That made us an essential shop which was great because I would have been demoralised if I was not working.

“We were just about breaking even but it helped to raise awareness of our business with a wider audience.

“We won’t be selling fruit and vegetables going forward because we were paying a premium price for them, but it kept us going during a really difficult time."

Reece says prices have increased as a result of Brexit but has thanked customers for their continued support despite the hikes.

He added: “Everything is more or less sorted now despite the fact that we have had to change suppliers due to leaving the European Union.

“It was silly really because the only thing that has altered is paperwork, but it has led to a big increase in costs.

“Companies in Europe have had to put their prices up because of new charges and some of our plants have doubled in price as a result, which we aren't happy about.

“I had a real fear that our customers wouldn’t pay more but people are still supporting us and we couldn’t be more grateful for that.”