SEVEN Bury Market traders who are standing as independent candidates will be fighting their campaign on a range of common and personal issues.

But the central plank of their manifesto which unites them is the retention of the market at its present site. They are totally opposed to any re-location as envisaged under Westfield's proposed £150 million Mill Gate re-development.

Other issues on which they will campaign are:

Less stringent car parking regulations

The return to weekly bin collections

Extension of powers to community safety wardens to allow them to deal with complaints of youth causing annoyance, freeing up police to deal with more serious crime.

Creating greater racial harmony in the town.

One of the seven, Alan Garman, said: "There's been letters in the Bury Times criticising us for standing, saying we're doing so simply because of the market. Have we any less right to stand than other candidates?"

Fellow independent Sean Fitzsimon commented: "Because we work in the market, we are in daily contact with hundreds of people. We're far more in touch than those politicians who just sit in their ivory towers."