TOWN Councillor Paul Browne has slammed Blackburn with Darwen Council for their treatment of Darwen six-day-market stall holders.

Cllr Browne said: “I’m disgusted in the way the borough council are treating our stall holders.

“They have had a bad deal for years because no one has the experience to run the market successfully.

“It has not been given the attention it needs to thrive, they’re just leaving it to run its course. The way those stall holders are being treated is an outrage. The biggest issue there is the rents.

“It’s extortionate the amount they are charging them. No one will say anything because they’re terrified they’ll put the rent up even more.

“They’re too scared to come out and complain about the treatment because they don’t know what the council will do next.

“I have had people coming up to me in the street and telling me about it and asking me to do something.

“It really is a shame that the market has ended up this way.

“It’s supposed to be the heart of the town.”

This comes following Monday’s the news that stall holder Jay Shaza, who has owned men’s clothing stall Insight Clothing in the Darwen six-day-market for over five years, will be leaving due to low footfall.

The clothing stall is the second to go this month, after M and O Fishmongers left their founding stall in the market last week to focus on their Horwich shop.