A ROW has erupted after the council allowed a regular Sunday car boot sale to set up on Chorley's Flat Iron car park.

Furious town centre and market traders fear their livelihoods will be hit by the new sale which they claim is more like a flea market selling new goods.

They are worried customers will spend up on Sundays and ignore the town centre throughout the week.

And they are angry because they were not consulted by Chorley Borough Council.

Jose Hampson, secretary of Chorley and District Chamber of Trade, stormed: "We do not believe the serious implications to other traders in the town have been thought through.

"Yet again the council is favouring one side of the town at the expense of the other.

"The council is doing it for the money, but it is at the expense of traders who are already struggling to make a living."

Lawrence Carter, markets representative on the chamber, also asked who would check on the goods for sale and who would tidy up?

In addition he asked: "Why should car boot traders not pay car park fees when week day customers do?

"Why not hold council's own flea market in conjunction with the regular market on Thursdays with all profits going to the council run by existing market staff at no extra cost?"

Roger Handscombe, Chorley's head of commercial development, defended the decision to ask Yorkshire-based Firthdene - who run the Monday flea market - to operate the sale.

He said: "It is not a market in any shape or form. It is a car boot sale, we are monitoring what is being sold.

"We have liaison meetings with the chamber of trade and market traders and this will be on the agenda at the next meeting. We weren't aware it was going to be a major concern."

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