Sudden market closure traders get compensation
BBCTraders at a market hall which was suddenly shut due to health and safety concerns have been given compensation by a local authority.
Westmorland and Furness Council announced on Tuesday the Market Hall and Forum theatre in Barrow would be demolished, giving traders just three days to remove their belongings.
It said all 12 traders had been moved out and given an "immediate compassionate payment" so they could have "some financial breathing space".
The council said it hoped to have a temporary space set up for seven of the traders within four to six weeks.
It said it was doing "everything possible" to fast-track the delivery of the temporary space.
A council spokesperson said they also planned to let some of the traders operate from an outdoor market.
Plans to redevelop the hall have been on the cards for a number of years along with The Forum theatre which closed in 2024 after asbestos was found.
That same year, surveys of the market also found asbestos present.
Despite the structural issues being known for some time, the council said the recent wet weather revealed additional leaks that could cause asbestos to become dislodged and so it had been advised to take "rapid action".
In the long term, the Liberal Democrat-led local authority said it was still working "at pace" to create a new market space in Barrow.
