A POPULAR market hall has been forced to close for weeks leaving shoppers devastated.
Almost 50 indoor stalls at Bury Market in Greater Manchester have been shut due to RAAC safety concerns.
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Bury council confirmed that some of the dangerous lightweight type of concrete was used to build the 1970s building.
This is the same material that was found in dozens of schools and colleges across the country – which left walls looking like an Aero chocolate bar, and it’s been shown crushing to pieces when under pressure.
Although the outdoor market is still open to the public, the stalls inside the building are set to close at least until Christmas.
Stallholders have now been left in tears with many fearing for their livelihoods.
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Chelsea Noone, who runs a nail salon in the market hall, said she “could cry” over the decision.
Fellow stall vendor Thabish Jawed told Manchester Evening News: “We feel devastated. We’ve got staff members, they’ve got rent to pay, they’ve got bills to pay.
“All of our 25 years of hard work has gone down into the gutter today.”
The council has now moved 16 from the affected 35 traders to temporary areas and plans to relocate them “in the next few days”.
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But vendors have slammed the decision and said they have been left in a limbo of uncertainty.
Karon Osbiston, who works at Rachel’s Bags inside the market hall, said her 23-year-old business will not survive the move.
She said: “They say they will put me somewhere else, but we’re a market. We are not a store. If we wanted to be in a shop, we would have been in a shop. We want to be on the market.
“Our customers are market people. We don’t want the shops. I don’t think the business will survive because in a shop, people have to walk into a shop. In the market there is passing trade.”
Hairdressers Kayleigh Lomas and Emma Guest fear they will not be compensated like the rest of stallholders as they’re both self-employed.
Kayleigh added: “How are we going to sustain clients? This is the busiest time of the year.”
Emma fumed: “I’m absolutely panicking out my head. How am I going to pay my bills? I’m a single mum with three kids.”
The traders are only allowed to enter the building with security and wearing protective equipment – including hard hats and high-vis jackets.
Shoppers took to social media to share their devastation over the sad news.
Anne said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Feel so sorry, they weren’t even given notice…could take months to get back to normal.
“Hopefully it won’t be the beginning of the end for the market though, that’s the worry.”
Another local added: “I hope they sort it quickly, I love Bury Market. It’s just so vibrant and great place.”
Bury council hasn’t confirmed the length of the closure, but traders have been told the hall won’t open for the next months.
An inspection is now underway to spot the areas affected by the RAAC and assess what needs to be done.
Cllr Charlotte Morris said the safety of traders and visitors is the top priority and apologised to the traders for “the inconvenience”.
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She said: “Once the site investigations have been carried out, we will be able to announce what remedial work needs to be done, and what the timescale for that will be.
“In the meantime, please show your support for our brilliant market traders and come along and snap up the usual range of bargains in our unique market atmosphere.”
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
