I WOULD like to support the appeal made by Joan Hall (Star, September 23) regarding the public of St Helens using the market, which so recently underwent a refurbishment.

What a pity that at the outset the transformation of the market was totally botched up. Stallholders were moved to a delapidated car park on the far side of town, when a temporary market was promised. This temporary market had leaking roofs, no heating, and, importantly, no road leading to it.

People were forced, in order to stay in business, to use their savings to prop up their ailing stalls in the belief that when they finally got back to the new revamped market as with other towns - Widnes and Wigan to name two - they would live long and prosper.

Some 18 months later and what do we find? A situation where stall holders are giving in and leaving. Others are now on the brink of bankruptcy, all their life savings gone, suffering from stress and ill-health brought on by worring about their livelihood. And we still have an air conditioning system that does not work, poorly-designed stalls with space to develop sales restricted by large blue stantions, and piped music from a foreign channel - could this be to save on licence fees?

The new Linkway, which is supposed to bring in inward investment now takes people away from the market, either by car or by bus.

We do, however, have a wonderful glass facade entrance, which so under-used and underseen by the public, that more people have probably seen Lord Lucan!

Question: Why was so much money wasted on this, when passageways in the revamped market have been completely ignored?

It would be interesting also, in the light of the fact that further retail outlets are being built close to the Linkway, to know just what are the opinons of our two MPs on this subject.

But hang on! Haven't I just read that a bus service will be provided to service the new retail park? Maybe it could run via the market along the old ring road then at least people would get to see the beautiful glass entrance.

Please wherever possible use the local market, which provides a vital service, plus jobs.

Leslie Teeling, Farnworth Street, Fingerpost.

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