DARWEN’S first Christmas market has been described as a “disaster” by town council leader Steve Duncan.

The three-day event was organised by the borough council and local business owners to attract more visitors.

But Coun Duncan said the ice rink, which was part of the market activities, had only taken £250, thus costing the council £3,000.

He added: “There was not enough to keep people interested.

"The ice rink took nowhere near enough to cover costs, and despite a fairly good turn-out on the opening and closing nights, for the non-food stalls, it was a disaster.”

But organiser Adam Hulme, manager of the Bridgewater in Church Street, said that although there were lessons to be learned, some traders did well.

He said: “We did lose money with the ice rink, and that’s something that we might look to change if we did it again, as well as getting more support from the markets.

“We pushed to hold the Christmas markets from 3pm to 6pm, but we were refused.

"I won’t give up, and I have ideas to put forward for next year.”