Market badly damaged by fire partially reopens

The market suffered extensive damage in the fire on Tuesday

A covered market has been partially reopened after it was damaged by a fire.

Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue service tackled a blaze at Milton Keynes Market, next to Centre:MK, on Tuesday evening.

In a post on social media, organisers said they hoped to reopen more of the market before the weekend.

A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said the cause of the fire was due to an electrical fault.

Maxine Herbert has worked at Milton Keynes Market for 27 years

Trader Maxine Herbert, who has sold cosmetics and toiletries at the market for 27 years, described the fire as "devastation".

"We're strong people, we've set up a little store and we will come back," she said.

"Hopefully our customers will still be here for us, we'll survive, worse things happen to people and maybe we're lucky."

Ms Herbert said Christmas trade usually carried them through the rest of the year.

A number of online fundraising pages have been set up to help traders in the run up to Christmas.

Part of the market was closed for 18 months after a previous fire on the site in January 2010.