VILLAGE traders are expected to oppose plans to start a weekly market, which they fear will devastate their businesses, at a public meeting tonight.

Shopkeepers and cafe owners in Stanhope, in Weardale, are concerned that the market would take their trade, just as it is about to pick up for the summer.

It is proposed, by Wear Valley District Council, to hold the markets on either a Monday or Friday during the summer months.

This could be extended from May to September, to cover the rest of the year if the market was a success.

Independent traders in the village will attend tonight's public discussion, in the town hall at 6pm, to voice their concerns.

Joan Rutherford, who has run a general store in Stanhope town centre for 50 years, said trade could dry up for many businesses if the market got the go-ahead.

She said: "We don't mind a bit of healthy competition, but this proposed market would take the cream off the milk. Trade is best during the summer because of the weather and people visiting the dale.

"We work hard to attract people to Stanhope and a weekly market will take advantage of that while taking away some of our customers.

"We pay business rates and running costs for 12 months of the year, and after 18 months struggling with the foot-and-mouth outbreak we need to make the most of this summer."

But Alec McCoy, the district council's market manager and licensing officer, believes that launching a market in Stanhope, which was originally a thriving market town, would benefit the whole community.

He said: "Traders in Crook and Bishop Auckland find that their best days are market days, because it encourages people to visit the town.

"Residents in the Stanhope area have been asking if they could have a market, so the demand must be there.

"I am sure people who do not usually spend in Stanhope would consider it with the extra offer available with a market.

"Hopefully the meeting will alleviate some of the concerns. We are looking at the proposals very carefully."