Confusion over why market’s heaters are not on

THE heat is on for organisers of an unusual record attempt.

Meltham will be the setting for a bid to break the world record f th mber of people taking heaters had been switched off at the request of stallholders who had complained about people hanging around the heaters and messing about.

The customer, who does not want to be named, said: “This market is dying. It used to be heaving. Now three-quarters of the stalls are empty.

“The shop owners are there to make a living and they are being charged £45 a day for the privilege of being there. Yet the council will not put the gas heaters on for the benefit of their customers.

“Is Kirklees Council trying to kill Huddersfield? People are rightly upset, and a lot of them are elderly or disabled.

“Owners received three excuses or reasons in one day. One was that the heaters were broken, then they were too costly to use and finally that they operate on a time switch so they can’t be used. But time switches can be over-ridden. All these excuses were made in one day.”

Mr Dimopoulos said he had seen no sign of anti-social behaviour among people using the cafe. “Ninety per cent of them are pensioners who spend two or three hours at the market,” he said. “It is common sense that if it’s so cold they will not stay here.”

A council spokesman said: “The heaters in the market have been turned off following requests from stallholders who experienced problems with people hanging around the heaters and carrying out anti-social behaviour.

“The staff in the markets take all complaints and disputes seriously and work hard to resolve them in a way that is fair to everyone involved.”

The council was asked to elaborate on the claims of anti-social behaviour but has yet to respond.