Hartlepool traders fear for their future as market is still off after five months

The Thursday Market run by Hartlepool Borough Council has not been held for over five months now since mid March.

Frustrated stallholders say they have had little information from the council about when it may start again and are losing money.

Other markets in the region have recommenced since the easing of lockdown including Hartlepool’s privately run farmers’ and maritime markets.

The council says it has devised a plan for the safe return of the sale held in the town centre car park behind York Road.

Mark Corfield, from Billingham, who runs a DVD and CD stall, said: “All we get is a text once or twice a month saying they haven’t got the staff to do it. But there is only one person who runs it anyway.

"I’m struggling to make ends meet.”

Fellow trader Carol Spence, who has had a second hand stall for over 20 years, added: "This is people's lives. It’s our livelihoods.

"If this doesn’t start soon what are we going to do?”

A council spokesman said: “We are aware of how frustrating it has been for the market traders who have been affected by the suspension of the Thursday Market and we appreciate the patience they have shown while we have been monitoring the situation and working to ensure that when the market returns it is safe and secure for both traders and visitors.

“We are very pleased to confirm that we have devised a plan to restart the market and we will be contacting traders to agree a restart date in the near future.”

Reece Allon, who has run his burger van at the market for over 15 years, claimed the council was not providing government Covid support grants to the market traders.

But the council said it included market traders in a discretionary small business grant scheme opened in May.

The spkesman added: “Grants will be paid next week to market traders who applied and these payments will reflect the time they operate in Hartlepool.

"Not all councils have provided this financial support to market traders.”

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