Customers react to closure of cockroach-hit market

People in Sheffield have spoken of their disappointment at not being able to shop at the city's popular Moor Market after its temporary closure due to cockroaches.

Sheffield City Council, which owns the market, shut its doors on Friday after the problem was discovered to be affecting parts of the site, including some food businesses.

On Monday, Margaret Aitchison, 73, said she was "a bit upset" and "disappointed" at the closure as she had travelled 28 miles (45km) from Buxton for food items for her daughter that could not be bought elsewhere.

Councillor Mark Rusling said the market would stay closed until at least Thursday while "extensive pest control, cleaning and monitoring work" continued.

Margaret explained she had been on "a mission" for her daughter, who lived in Guildford, to buy black pudding, tomatoes and sausages - the type she "can't get down south".

However, she said she had taken the temporary closure of the Moor Market in her stride and said "it happens".

Margaret added that she was "looking forward" to the market reopening as soon as was safely possible.

Sisters Kay, 68, and Sheila, 66, said they were also having to make alternative shopping plans following the market's temporary closure.

They said they had "always shopped" at Sheffield's markets and "like to browse".

They both added they would return to the Moor Market if it was "cleaned right so they don't have to close again".

Meanwhile, Jan and Ian Birch, from Sheffield, said they shopped at the city's markets four times weekly.

Jan, 71, said: "I feel sorry for stall holders, it must be awful for them. I hope it's not too long."

She said she suspected the problem at the Moor Market could be due to the hot weather and would "absolutely" return when it reopened.

"It can happen anywhere," she said.

Ian, 82, said he liked visiting the market because of the people and the different goods that could be bought there, especially at the fish stalls.

Jan agreed, saying she bought the fish from the Moor Market if she was cooking a "special meal".

Also hoping to visit the Moor Market on Monday, Sean, 62, said its current closure was "a bit inconvenient".

However, he said that as long as the council had good reason to close it, shoppers would "just have to wait for it to open" again.

But Sean said he felt "they could have put some better notices up to say why it's closed".

Traders at the Moor Market have told the BBC they had lost business as a result of the pest problem and still did not know when it would reopen.

Rusling, chair of the environmental services and regulation policy committee, explained that council teams, market traders and specialist pest control contractors had been carrying out a comprehensive programme of treatment, deep cleaning and monitoring throughout the market.

He said the action was "necessary" due to the "extreme and sustained" hot weather which had created conditions that could increase pest activity and make it easier for them to move through interconnected spaces.

"We would like to thank traders for the significant efforts they have made over the weekend to clean their units, storage areas and equipment," he said.

"Acting quickly has allowed treatment and cleaning work to be carried out across the whole building and in areas that would not have been accessible while the market remained open."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North