The Ipswich Star is preparing to fight to keep the town’s outdoor market alive, accusing the local authority of “stabbing traders in the back”.

Stall numbers have dwindled from 74 to just nine and now the local council is stalling on a decision to allow it back to its spiritual home in the town centre – rather than in a corner of the council car park, where it currently stands.

With no passing trade, the Star believes the market is doomed without a move to Cornhill, in the very heart of the Suffolk county town.

The last stallholders are trying a last-ditch attempt to stay in the town by moving to that venue.

And more than 200 coupons in support of the idea have been returned to the Star by its readers.

The coupons came in the wake of an online poll, which showed a massive majority in favour of keeping the market – which at the last count showed 83 per cent support.

But the borough can only find objections to their request – and the Star feels the local authority is stalling in the hope of better deal when a new shopping centre is built.

The Star said: “The council has discovered a host of legal quirks associated with moving the market to the Cornhill, all of which work to stab market traders in the back.

“Is there really a desire to save the market in Ipswich?

“The politicians might like the idea of having a market in the town – but are they really concerned if it collapses?”

It concludes the decision-makers may have worked out that only a few people make the effort to travel out of the town centre to use the market and that few votes would be lost if it went under.

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