A DECISION on whether or not to move Burnham’s Farmers’ Market out of the High Street has been delayed until the new year.

Cllr Neville Jones told Burnham and Highbridge Town Council recently he thought the market should move as it caused major disruption and that permanent shops actually lost trade when it was on due to road closures.

The High Street has to be closed between Adam Street and Cross Street – a distance of around 50 metres – which Cllr Jones says causes problems in the town.

Cllr Jones said that moving the market to the side of the amusements and Co-op Funeral Services would be better as the road widths were similar and would allow the traders the same amount of space.

However a meeting of the town council’s policy and finance committee this week agreed to defer making a decision on moving the market until next February.

Cllr Jones said: “I’m all for keeping the farmers’ markets, but traders here already pay the highest business rates in Sedgemoor and they don’t need farmers’ markets hurting their trade.”

Councillors considered other location such as Lynton Road car park and Victoria Street, but neither was deemed suitable.

It was agreed at the meeting that councillors would go on a site visit to the market to look at the issue more closely and discuss solutions with the Somerset County Council’s highways department.