Market's 'unsafe' bomb shelters to be filled in

The tunnels were built beneath Newcastle's Grainger Market in about 1941

A historic market's hidden tunnels, used as bomb shelters during World War Two, are to be filled in with concrete.

The work is part of a £9m revamp of the Grainger Market in Newcastle city centre.

The rarely seen air raid shelters will need to be filled in to allow construction to go ahead safely, the council said.

Because the tunnels had "deteriorated significantly", it said there was "no prospect of public access in the future as access is not safe".

The tunnels were built beneath the market arcade in about 1941, during efforts to provide more publicly accessible air raid shelters across the country, according to Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But the council's planning application said many such shelters were "flimsy" and "would not have withstood a direct hit".

Officials have filed to infill the tunnel network, saying it was "not practical" to try and preserve it.

Newcastle's Grainger Market will get new flooring, toilets, doors and signs

In recent years, some of the tunnels have been accessed by the public as part of Heritage Open Days, although that stopped in 2018.

Work began recently on a major restoration of the Grade I listed Georgian building, which will include new flooring, toilets, doors, seating and signs.

The tunnels have been closed since 2018

A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said it had consulted its planning team and Historic England on all aspects of the plans for the building "from the outset".

It is expected the infilling of the tunnels with concrete will begin early in 2025, subject to listed building consent being granted.