Fishmongers have made a desperate appeal to Bradford Council to let them have their stalls rent free because of the crisis at Rawson Market.

There are just four businesses left at once-thriving James Street fish market and now the remaining fishmongers fear they will not stay afloat unless the Council steps in to help them.

At one time there were more than 20 and even when Rawson Market closed they numbered seven.

The fish market - which had been operating for more than 100 years - leads into the main Rawson market building, which is scheduled for a £6 million scheme.

But the main hall is a demolition site, even though the big facelift should have been finished by now.

And last week the Telegraph & Argus revealed that the scheme hung on the sale of Vicar Lane car park to a leisure developer.

The Council says it is confident the transaction will go through and the work on Rawson Market can start by September.

But Rawson tenants who moved out to a nearby £1.2 million temporary market two years ago say 11 greengrocery and butchery businesses have shut since then and 20 jobs have been lost.

They have been allowed a rent free concession at the temporary market because of the crisis.

But today fishmonger John Burn said: "We have asked the Council to allow us the same concessions because of the serious problems we also face."

He said: "We have lost a tremendous amount of passing trade.

"The fishmongers didn't want this big refurbishment originally and we warned the Council of the consequences.

"I think they should put a new more modest market hall on the site where the main hall is being demolished."

Fishmonger Steve North said the Council had told them just weeks ago that it would start work almost immediately even if only half the money was available.

"They haven't even got that now. You can't knock something down and expect people to wait for four to five years."

Stallholder Neil Priestley said the Council should start work as soon as possible.

Council leader Councillor Greenwood said any application would be considered by the Council and officers.

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