Covid: Woburn market returns after Bedfordshire council ban

The Woburn Market returned on 15 November and the next one will be held on 20 December

A 800-year-old street market has returned "with a bang" having previously been told it could not run because it could not comply with Covid-19 regulations.

The Woburn Traders Association (WTA) said it had "worked with" Central Bedfordshire Council to provide a "safe event".

The council confirmed the monthly market was now "Covid-secure".

It had previously said safety measures were "not sufficient".

Only essential goods, such as food, were currently allowed to be sold at the market

Woburn was granted a Royal Charter to run markets in 1242 and the current incarnation runs for four hours once a month.

Stefan Botfield, WTA chairman said the October market did not go ahead as the council had "insisted on a one-way system and flow control" with a fixed entrance and exit.

He said: "We worked closely with the council and came together in a constructive manner to look at the stuff we could do instead of the stuff we couldn't do."

• Covid-19: Infection rates in Beds, Bucks, Cambs, Herts and Northants

• Early Christmas shopping helps boost retail sales

• 'Going back into lockdown would unsettle me'

The November market "came back with a bang, but due to the current lockdown rules, some non-essential goods were not on sale and we removed a few stalls," he said.

A council spokesman said: "We're pleased the market took place at the weekend, in a Covid-secure manner.

"We're always happy to work with businesses, especially market traders as market towns are such a feature of our area."

The market (pictured before the coronavirus pandemic) was "very successful" and people felt safer buying goods in the open air, said Stefan Botfield

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [e-mail]