SHOPPERS are being told to use Walton’s traditional market – or the market town could lose the facility and its grant status.

Walton Market, which is run by Frinton and Walton Town Council, is held every Thursday on Millennium Square, off High Street.

The town council is waiting to hear how Tendring Council’s plans for the site will affect the market.

Millennium Square, which covers part of the Tendring Council-run High Street car park, is set for a £90,000 facelift in a bid to create a year-round space for various events.

Councillors claim the market’s popularity is limited by a lack of stallholders and fear residents think the market is “rubbish” and needs “better stalls”.

Mayor Robert Bucke said he had posted a message on social media telling residents they had to “use it or lose it”, but had not had a single reply.

The town council’s current lease for the market - which costs the council about £10,000 a year, runs out at the end of March.

Councillor Terry Allen said: “As soon as the market stops, people will ask why – and it is because people don’t use it.

“People have got to use that market and then we will get more stalls.

“There have been more stalls recently because the weather has not been too bad, but then it goes back to the just key man and the fella selling fruit and veg. It’s costing this council a lot of money.”

Resident David Foster called on councillors to fight to keep the market to maintain Walton’s market town status.

He said: “It’s vitally important we don’t lose the market. Walton gets a lot of concessions because it is a market town.

“If we lose the market, we won’t be able to get any future grants that are relevant to market towns. Whatever the council does, it should not lose its market, “Walton was one of the first six places in the country to get broadband and the only reason that happened was because it is a market town. Even if the market is running at a loss at the moment, you have got to keep it.”

But Walton councillor Delyth Miles said the council should not keep spending taxpayers’ cash on a loss-leader.

She said: “We all know public finances are drying up slowly and the days when the East of England Development Agency was flush with money donating to places like market towns have gone.

“The year-on-year cost builds up when there might be better use of our local taxpayers’ money.

“The market manager is quite open about it - he is more or less running at a loss. He admitted it wouldn’t affect him adversely if we decided to close it.

“In fact, it would be a relief because he’s doing it out of a sense of duty – which is commendable actually.”

Mr Bucke added: “We have to bear in mind that this time next year we will have an Aldi and a Marks and Spencers. The prices could be significantly lower than the market.”