SMALL charities say they are losing out on thousands of pounds - because of a decision by Leyland market to stop them trading.

Many local fundraisers who took advantage of free lettings on the three-day market have been refused permission to set up their stalls. Now they have hit out at Metroland - the market's managers - for allowing only registered charities to have stalls.

Nicky Rollinson, who runs the Leyland animal charity CLAWS, said the decision to axe the charity stalls was "devastating".

She said: "We used to hold four stalls every year on the market and raised around £1,000 selling crafts and bric-a-brac. The cash was our life-blood. It kept us going. £1,000 may not be much to people like Metroland - but to us it's the difference between survival and going out of business.

"A lot of local charities are suffering. Metroland should be supporting local charities and good causes - not putting them out of business," she added.

A spokesman for Metroland said the problem went back a long time: "It's a bit of an old chestnut. We are not stopping charities using the market - they just have to be registered ones.

"We found that certain charities were booking four or five times a year and we felt that was not fair.

"The system will be reviewed on a regular basis. There will be a further review at the end of the year."

Local charities who have taken advantage of the free stalls in the past include local playgroups, scouts and animal welfare groups.

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