'It's eight weeks till Christmas, my busiest time - but I'm distraught, I just feel desperate'

Dozens of traders are still burdened by uncertainty with nowhere to trade more than a week after the sudden closure of Bury’s indoor market. At around 5pm on Thursday, October 26, Bury Council ordered the immediate closure of the building, following surveys which showed the existence of RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) which had been used in the construction of the building in 1971.

The closure meant the sudden loss of selling space, through no fault of their own, for 49 traders, who operated from 62 units. The outdoor market, and fish and meat hall, have not been affected and are open as usual.

Bury Council said 16 units on the outside of the hall have now reopened and others will be opening up on the outdoor market and from pop-up stalls. The council has been having discussions with the Mill Gate shopping centre about accommodating a number of traders in their empty units, and in vacant units the council owns on Princess Parade.

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The sudden closure has had a profound effect on dozens of people who relied on the market hall space for their livelihoods. Sole trader Chelsea Noone, 33, has run CC House of Beauty from a cabin in the indoor hall for the last five years and has worked on Bury Market since she was 13.

She says working there ‘is all I’ve ever known’. She said: “I’m distraught, I just feel desperate. All the work I’ve put into to my salon to get it going and I’ve had to take it all down because the roof’s unsafe.

“The council have said they’re looking for a new place for me but nothing has