IN the bustling town of Belleek there are fears that an exit from the European Union could result in economic woes for the very many businesses that rely on cross-Border trade.

With the referendum only a week away the claims and counter-claims on the impact of Britain leaving the EU are coming in thick and fast but detailed information on both viewpoints is not.

The uncertainty and confusion over what happens to Border towns and villages, such as Belleek, after next week is leaving people like butcher John Dolan scratching their heads.

“When you have shovel and spade qualifications this type of thing wouldn’t be too easy to understand, do you know what I mean?” said Mr. Dolan, who runs McGovern Meats.

“You know, like a lot of people I don’t really understand what is going on. A lot of people would be the same. These leaflets in the post, sure there are big words in them that you wouldn’t understand.

“Nobody has any answers. I don’t know myself what will happen. I don’t know if it will make much odds staying or going. I don’t think it will help business if the Border controls were back in place. People will not go out to do their shopping and you know, this could really spoil the whole thing. I think it should be left the way it is. The Border doesn’t really exist at the minute anyway,” he said.

Nuala Burns, who works for Marie Curie, said the return of Border check points “would spoil the town”, explaining that her concern would be for “the local businesses.”

“If Border restrictions go up it would make going to work awkward. I know a bit about Brexit but I wouldn’t be high up on it. I would say not many people know enough about it.”

Pauline Gilmartin’s family gift shop has been going for 27 years. She too is concerned about what will happen next.

“We haven’t been told what is going to happen to the Border and are quite concerned about customs. A lot of our suppliers are in the south. We take for granted the free movement here, very much so, and we have forgotten what it is like to have check points.

"There is too much uncertainty. Boris Johnson shrugged his shoulders and said people in Northern Ireland have nothing to worry about, but why should we trust him? He needs to give us more information. For us, we need to know what the Border will look like?” she said.

The Border with Donegal in the Republic of Ireland is just yards away and as it stands if Ms. Gilmartin wants to drive into Enniskillen from Belleek she has to cross into the south.

“We are a few yards away from the Border. This is all about our day to day lives. To go to Enniskillen we cross the Border by going over the bridge which is in the Republic of Ireland. I would drive over the bridge, into the south, and then back into the north to get to Enniskillen. We are using the Border 10 times a day, so I have some concerns about all of this.”

Priscilla Coyle believes the debate has not been “explained very well” or “in every day language.”

“I am not sure, I have not read enough on it. If England vote to leave, and Wales and Scotland, then our vote here, will it have an impact?”

Michelle Rooney, who owns Rooney’s Gift Store in the town, finds herself in a difficult position. Her business is situated in Northern Ireland, but she lives in the Republic of Ireland and is therefore unable to vote in the referendum.

“You have it from the views of the Leave and the Remain campaign, and I think one is trying to outdo the other without giving enough information. It is grand the yes and no campaign canvassing in England and televised debates with the English view, but it is totally different in Northern Ireland. It is the Border point of view that I would be thinking of because nobody knows what is going to happen. They are saying there won’t be check points.

“I don’t have an opportunity to vote but I would be voting to remain. I think for Border businesses we need to remain,” she said.

Maria McGuinness owns McGuinness Pharmacy and is worried that if Britain pulls of Europe it could have a “serious, adverse effect on trade here.”

“It would mean that we couldn’t supply our surrounding area. It’s not that we are looking for people to come from the Republic to the North but that’s part of our host area, so there should be an ease for those people to shop and we can supply them, as simple as that.

"Free movement is a big thing. It is our population, it’s not that we are taking someone else’s trade, that is not our drive. What we want to do is be able to facilitate the ease of purchases and my case, dispensing to people who are in my area. The convenience would be gone,” she said.

Over in The Lemon Tree, a family run cafe on the edge of town, Sheamus Rooney says he has always lived with a Border “one way or another.”

“It is only recently that it has been taken down and there are advantages and disadvantages to both sides. I don’t think Britain will vote to leave the EU, that would be my own, personal opinion. There is much more harmonisation now in the North and the South. But I don’t think check points would have the same impact that they had on the area in the past.

“I suppose the single biggest problem for my business would be exchange rates. If the exchange rates are poor we will have very poor southern business coming our way. But if the exchange rate is reasonable it is noticeable that you get more people coming in. At the end of the day, whatever happens, happens. We will just have to live with it,” he said.