The end of the world may not be nigh and a zombie apocalypse may not seem possible, but a St Neots business has launched the first dedicated shop in the UK to meet demand of those preparing for such and other (realistic) catastrophes.

Lincoln Miles, 21, of Hardwick Road, Eynesbury, set up Preppers Shop online in February selling items, including gas masks, dry-food rations, and weapons, for ‘preppers’ – people who prepare for emergencies such as floods, wars or economic collapse.

He said he has seen demand rocket to 100 to 150 orders a day on his website, so on Saturday, Mr Miles is opening the first shop of its kind in Roxton, close to the Black Cat roundabout.

He told The Hunts Post: “Generally doomsday prepping is about preparing for a zombie apocalypse but really it’s about preparing for any every situation, including the flooding you see in Little Paxton.

“If you were stranded in a flood and couldn’t get any supplies for a week, would you be prepared for that and would you survive?”

He added: “It’s massive in America but it’s getting more popular here in Britain too.

“It’s getting bigger because the view from the news is that the world is getting more and more unstable, the weather is getting worse with every season, there’s a lots of distrust in government and fear the economy is about to collapse.

“At first it was just online but we had more and more people drop in to buy things so I thought I may as well open up the shop. There’s nothing like it anywhere else in the UK.

“I thought it would be predominantly ex-military types that would be interested, but we have had Belgian commercial pilots who were visiting family in the area drop in, as well as accountants and lawyers.”

The most popular items are gas masks and camp stoves.

Mr Miles said: “The stove is what it’s all about.

“It’s a normal stove that runs off wood so you can pick up sticks and start a fire to cook. It also has a generator attached, which is powered by the fire, and which can be used to charge a phone using a USB lead.

“It means that people can be self sustainable and if they want to, people can stay off the grid.”