Len Tingle Political Editor BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

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Mel Dyke tells how shopping habits have changed

In the Seventies Barnsley 'modernised'. A large concrete multi-storey indoor market was built and the majority of the stalls decamped under its roof.

"They used to say that if you could not buy it on Barnsley market then they did not make it," says Mel Dyke.

"They used to bring bus trips from all over the country to see our market."

Mel Dyke should know.

She has written a book called "The Bus to Barnsley Market" which explains how the South Yorkshire town mostly known for its collieries has been equally famous for markets which were set up by royal charter in the 13th century.

Before supermarkets

It was in its heyday in the 1950s and 60s when wartime rationing had stopped and competition from supermarkets had not started.

Hundreds of canvas covered stalls three days a week selling everything from haddock to haberdashery.

What is more, it was all outdoors in rain, hail or snow.

A world without supermarkets saw traditional open-air markets thrive

Serious competition

In the Seventies Barnsley "modernised". A large concrete multi-storey indoor market was built and the majority of the stalls decamped under its roof.

Thirty years on and its struggling to beat off the out-of-town hypermarkets. It is a story familiar to market towns across the region.

"The trouble is, the people have gone to the shops on the edge of town and they are our customers," says Dave Wilson who has run a fruit and veg stall for 28 years.

"We need them back".

'We want out customers back' says Dave Wilson

Market plans

That is exactly what Barnsley intends to do. The local council has just announced a �180m plan to rebuild the town centre.

"The markets at its heart," says Councillor Bill Newman the Cabinet Member for Development.

"We will also bring in more shops and even flats to restore town centre living and bring people in.

"It includes car parking and will allow access particularly to the fresh local produce that we are justly famous for in Barnsley Market."

�180m market and shopping complex for Barnsley

Too little, too late?

But will it be enough to stop the tide of decline of our traditional markets?

"I hope so," says Mel Dyke. "You have to remember that times have changed. In the sixties home freezers and fridges were relatively rare.

"Few people had their own cars so markets were convenient.

"What we have to do is put some of the excitement back in and turn a trip to the market into a proper day out."

The Politics Show

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