Ongoing bridge closure leaves traders 'struggling'

A market stall trader says the continued closure of a city bridge six months after a fire has reduced his business by as much as 40%.

The market, near Secklow Gate bridge in Milton Keynes, reopened in January but the road remains closed off because of damage to the structure.

But Avta Singh, who has run a clothing store there for 37 years, believes older customers who come to the city by bus and see the closed route "think the market is closed as well".

A spokesperson for Milton Keynes City Council confirmed the bridge would remain shut until September, adding: "Several different areas and elements of the bridge were damaged by the market fire", which had "complicated matters".

In December, 11 fire appliances and crews tackled the blaze at the market, next to the Centre:MK shopping centre.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said it had been caused by an electrical fault.

The covered market is owned by the Milton Keynes Development Partnership and Milton Keynes City Council, and has a mixture of fixed stalls and casual pitches.

Mr Singh said the fire meant he had lost between £130,000 and £140,000 of stock due to smoke damage and added that "we are going through a very hard time now, nobody is helping, and the council was still charging the full rent".

It is the second time the city centre bridge had been closed for a long period, after it shut for 18 months following a separate fire in January 2010.

The council spokesperson said the authority had been "working with specialists in fire damaged structures, alongside testing and concrete analysis".

"We have now got to the bottom of what repairs are needed and that work is on schedule, so the bridge should re-open fully in September," they added.

However Ayat Hassany, who had been selling toys on the market for five years, said he had lost as much as 15% of sales since the fire.

He says the road closure means customers "park somewhere else and then go to the city centre to shop instead".

He said the fire meant the market had been re-arranged, so he had to move his stall, and said traders were left "struggling".

The council spokesperson said: "We have been working with traders to boost their profiles online," adding: "Buses, taxis and areas of free parking have remained open which we know is important to customers."

Paul Hobbs has worked on the market for 38 years and says his almost lost his store in the fire. He has lost 50% of his stock.

He described the financial hit from the fire as "massive" and that the loss of trade for his business was in the tens of thousands and had "ruined Christmas".

However he said they were "back up and running" and he was not concerned by the continued closure of Secklow Gate.

He felt people had "got used to where to park and where to come in" and added that "you have got to make sure it is safe" before reopening the road again.

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