Normally a 50th anniversary is a time for celebration but the mood was muted at Nottingham's Victoria Market, where traders say they're in limbo. It was July 21, 1972, when the market in Victoria Centre was officially opened by the Sheriff of Nottingham, Alderman Norman Hemmington.
Stephen Taylor, whose grandfather Jack Hine was there on opening day in 1972 having relocated his stall from the Central Market, said: "I think the council have forgotten it was the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Victoria Centre Market. The council not mentioning the market's anniversary does surprise us a bit as only two months ago they were setting up stalls in the Market Square and across town championing small businesses.
"They had 600 responses - it doesn't take six weeks to two months to sort out 600 responses. A private company would have done it in a couple of days. "They were short-sighted and they wanted the full rent. Some of these people couldn't pay - we're talking about traders who have been there for years. They are that disorganised and unqualified and it's a complete mess. Some of the guys who have been in charge of this need to hold their heads in shame. Not all city councils are like this. Markets are thriving in other cities.