Church car park to host traders uprooted from Beaumont Market

Traders will set up in the car park on three days of the week

Traders have announced plans to relocate when their market closes at the end of the year.

Beaumont Market, in Beaumont Leys, Leicester, has been running for 39 years, but Leicester City Council said it would cease operating following a recent decline in trade.

Its final official day of trading is 31 December.

However, some stallholders have secured a deal relocate to a nearby site in the city.

Christ the King Church, in Beaumont Way, has agreed to allow traders to set up in its car park, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, starting on 4 January.

One trader, who will be making the move, told BBC Radio Leicester: "We can carry on at a site that is only just a short distance away, which is good, but we are still disappointed our market is shutting."

Leicester City Council said the market was no longer viable

The council said it was aware of the arrangement, which had been privately agreed.

A council spokesperson said: "The decision to close Beaumont Leys Market was taken in July.

"This was due to changes in shopping habits, declining customer numbers and fewer stallholders.

"That meant Beaumont Leys market was no longer generating the income needed for a viable future.

"Since then, we have extended the planned closure date from October until the end of December to allow traders to benefit from the busy festive shopping period and to give them more time to find alternative premises.

"We have offered a range of advice and support to help traders find new locations to trade from and many have now successfully done so."