LEYLAND'S market traders have been told to expect great things in the future by their new manager.

Alan Hartwell, of Market Initiatives Ltd, has been brought in by South Ribble Borough Council, which now runs the market, to help bring the prosperous times back to the run-down area.

His first step has been to slash stall charges on the market in a bid to entice new traders on to the market, which he believes has been in the doldrums for nearly 25 years.

He said: "The traders we have been very loyal and when we saw what they were being charged by old managers, we were shocked.

"The charges were astronomical and well above anything charged elsewhere in the area.

"By reducing the charges we have started to repay the loyalty shown by the traders in recent years and we also hope new traders will be enticed onto the market." Mr Hartwell now plans to spend the next couple of weeks walking around Leyland with traders looking for a site to relocate to while their permanent pitches are regenerated as part of the redevelopment of Southern Towngate.

Land off St Andrew's Way and pavement pitches in Hough Lane are being considered.

And once the traders return, Mr Hartwell predicts that things will continue to get better for the beleaguered traders.

He added: "As we get more traders, our diversity of products increases and more people will come back. Word of mouth is a powerful thing but I am also planning a huge promotional and publicity campaign which should get people coming back.

"This is a town which has massive potential and the market will be at the centre of that potential in the future.

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