VILLAGE shopkeepers are to continue their fight to keep out a weekly market they say will hit their trade.

Wear Valley District Council plans to start the market in Stanhope in the next few weeks as part of a drive to attract visitors to the area.

But traders fear they will lose out from the extra competition and shoppers will stay away because there will be fewer places to park.

Diane Wright, from the Bakers Loaf in Front Street, said a meeting with market bosses had failed to convince the protestors.

She said: "We have not been consulted and neither has the parish council. They came to the meeting and told us it was going to happen, whatever we said.

"We were all shocked. We can't understand why they won't listen to us.

"Weardale people aren't afraid to look forward. We have had to to cope with foot-and-mouth, the Lafarge closure at Eastgate and the problems at Weardale Steel, but this is going to add to our difficulties."

Alec McCoy, the district council's market manager and licensing officer, hopes he can talk the traders round.

He said: "I think we have convinced them that the market won't do them any harm and, in fact, they can gain by it.

"Traders from Bishop Auckland have told them that market days are their busiest days and they can benefit.

"We hope to start up in the next few weeks and are working with the traders to find the best day and finalise plans for parking."