MARKET traders have pleaded with councillors not to close the car park opposite their stalls for this year's Rossendale Bike Show after suffering massive losses in 2000.

Stallholders on Rawtenstall Market said they suffered "catastrophic" losses when the Newchurch Road car park opposite the market was closed on both the Thursday and Saturday trading days as preparations were made for the bike show.

The car park is usually used to accommodate the "Wall of Fear" and other fairground attractions during the show which attracts 30,000 visitors to the town every year.

Last year it was closed totally for some days before the two-day bike show as well as on the days of the show.

Now traders have asked council bosses to look at alternative venues for the fairground attractions to prevent them losing out this year.

Joan Whiteley, chairman of Rawtenstall Market Action Group, said: "Parking for would-be customers was totally disrupted and chaos reigned as people drove round frantically trying to find a parking space -- a lot went elsewhere."

"Traders selling perishable goods, who with foresight had actually bought less stock than usual, were still left with large quantities on their hands -- with much having to be discarded yet staff wages and rent still had to be paid."

A report to Rossendale Borough Council's engineering and planning committee states: "The Rossendale Motor Bike Show uses virtually all the available sites within the town centre and clearly a great deal of disruption is inevitably caused.

"However it has been accepted that benefits to the area outweigh the disadvantages caused and there have been very few complaints either from residents or from town centre traders."

The date for this year's bike show has been fixed for Sunday September 23. and councillors were due to discuss the car parking issue tonight.

Mrs Whiteley said: "We sent a letter of objection to the Council, not really about the Bike Show which we fully support and enjoy, but about the closure of the short stay car park which serves the market.

"This closure caused great inconvenience to our customers on Thursday and Saturday, driving them out of town when they would prefer to shop with us - after all that is what our market is there for - to serve folk with what they want, and ease of parking is essential in this day and age."