STALLHOLDERS have hit out at plans to "sell off" historic Accrington market hall and called for a trust to run the site.

Hyndburn Borough Council is in the process of finding a company to run the market, saying that it does not have the resources to invest in the building.

But opposition councillors and market traders have joined forces to call on council bosses to consider creating a new arms-length trust to run the market independently from the council.

Posters have been put up around the Victorian building and petitions from stallholders and customers have been collected in support of the idea.

Labour group leader Coun David Myles said that he would be presenting the petitions to the council at the next meeting of the cabinet on February 15.

Coun Myles said: "Every single stallholder is behind the proposal to set up a trust to run the market hall.

"The market is profitable and if an external company comes in to run it all of those profits will go straight out of Hyndburn.

"A trust would be able to ring fence all of those profits and reinvest them into the market hall and the town centre. We would also be able to attract funding and grants that the council could not."

There are also worries that an external company could put up stall rents.

Coun Myles said that any board running the market should be made up of councillors and stallholders.

Neville Singer, 60, has been a trader at the market hall for more than 40 years at his childrenswear and pram stall. He said there was a lot of concern among stallholders.

He said: "This is a very uncertain time and people are worried.

"The last thing we want is the market hall to be sold off."

Council leader Peter Britcliffe said the proposal to find a new company to run the market hall was no sell off.

He said: "The market hall will remain a market hall. We are looking to work in partnership with an outside investor to take the market hall into the future by developing its huge potential certainly not to sell it off.

"The market traders have been involved throughout the discussions on the future of the market hall.

"We need to look at how best to bring in investment, whether that is from a private firm or looking at other solutions.

"Getting it right is what is important.

"I have my doubts that a trust would be able to get the injection of cash that is needed but we would rule nothing out."