MORECAMBE'S 25th anniversary punk festival could be under threat after market traders insisted they are not obliged to move out of the building.

Council chiefs have promised the resort's Festival Market to the punk festival organisers, meaning traders will be forced to close for one of their busiest weeks of the year.

But traders have checked the market 'rules' they agreed when moving to the new building four years ago. They say they are not obliged to leave the building for eight days a year as had previously been claimed.

The traders had informally agreed to give up the market for four weekends a year, at a time when the market only ran two days a week and traders moved their equipment out every night anyway.

However, the council's legal department insist the market's rules are legally watertight and that traders will have to move out or risk breaching the licence.

The national Market Traders Federation has been approached to help fight the move, which could see the market closed during part of the vital 'Edinburgh fortnight'.

Colin Gibson, chairman of the Festival Market Traders Association, says the campaign is still gathering support.

He said: "We have now had well over 3,000 signatures on our petition and I know two or three people have been over to the tourist information centre to complain to the council about the closure."

Mr Gibson, who says he is keen to see the annual punk festival find an alternative venue in Morecambe, says traders will continue to lobby the council.

Councillors warned last week that the punk festival, which brings an estimated £250,000 to the town, could go elsewhere unless the Festival Hall was available.

A council spokesman said: "The Festival Market is so called because it was originally designed as festival venue as well as a market. The licence says that traders shall at all times comply with the Festival Market rules. Failure to do so will be a breach of the licence."