Coun Charles VernonIN a dramatic U-turn Malmesbury Town Council has abolished the town's Sunday market after a bitter feud between councillors and traders came to a head this week.

Town traders claimed they had seen a significant loss in their takings since the market began, without consultation, in September. They have been fighting to close the market. Some shopkeepers banned councillors from their shops and one even banned the mayor Coun Charles Vernon.

At the full town council meeting on Tuesday more than 15 traders and members of the public attended to question and criticise the market.

Many councillors admitted they had made a mistake and Coun Catherine Doody proposed the market be terminated. This was put to the vote and six councillors voted for the motion, two were against and two abstained.

Butcher Richard Walker, who had banned councillors from his shop in Market Cross was very happy with the decision.

"I want to congratulate the town council on being brave and doing the right thing for the town," he said.

Peter Kemp, owner of the Fromagerie, one of the businesses most affected by the market said: "I am delighted at the council's decision. That is not to say that there should not be a market but if there is to be another I hope next time the council all have the good sense to consult fully with the chamber of commerce, churches and other parties involved."

Shopkeeper Stan Malpas who banned Coun Vernon from his shop, ASM Outfitters, said he was delighted for all the traders in the town and the elderly residents who live above the Market Cross and were disturbed by the market in the early hours.

"I think they have done the right thing," he said.

Following the meeting Coun Vernon said the council did not want to comment at the moment.

"We will issue a considered statement after the dust has settled. We think a message this week might get a little bit lost," he said.

However, market operator manager Karl Waldron, who works for Landmark Market, was furious.

"I am thoroughly upset about it. We had a 90 per cent approval rate and had 5,000 plus people coming into the town. We had been praised in the national press and we are one of the best small food markets in Wiltshire. It is the oldest market town and it should have a market," he said.

He claimed £5,000 of damage had been caused to market equipment whilst it was in storage and a small rabble of traders were causing all the problems.

Coun John Thomson said he did not support an outright closure of the market and he believed it would have been better to suspend it for further consultation.

"They need to do proper market research on what would benefit the town and not just traders. Now they have upset a lot of people who liked the market. They have swung from one extreme to the other," he said.

Malmesbury town councillor Judy Jones supported this view and proposed at the meeting that the market be suspended. However this was overruled once the termination proposal was passed.

Many councillors admitted they had not thought the market through and decided it was causing too much pain to many traders.

Coun Doody said: "We have to come to a decision about this. Too many people are being hurt and it is not all about money."

Coun Martin Snell agreed: "No one realised the adverse affect it was going to have on the town. It has backfired on us. These people can only stand so much," he said.

He was also angry at the way in which the council had failed to communicate with the public and respond to their questions.

"It is a disgrace. I am sorry Mr Mayor but I don't think much of this at all," he said.

The market is not only causing problems to traders' sales it has also blocked church-goers travelling to the Abbey and the Roman Catholic Church.

"It is absolute chaos. It would not happen on a week day so why should it happen on Sunday?" said Coun Ray Sanderson.

The council has twice failed to meet the churches and the chamber of commerce to resolve the situation.

At Tuesday's meeting the mayor admitted one of the cheques paid by the market operator had bounced. The council is still owed money whilst the operator sets up a bank account.

The market will run this Sunday but a decision on when the final market will be held had not been made yet.