91Èȱ¬

Where do you do your weekly shop? The local convenience store? The out-of-town supermarket? How about your nearest street market?

"You could give stuff away, but it’s not going to get the people here", said Dean Roland who runs a fish stall at markets in Frome and Wells.

He added: "Car parking is a big issue. People have to come up here and pay by the hour. At a supermarket, it's free."

Rules and regulations

In addition to convenience, are prices also keeping shoppers away? "It’s not the prices," said Dean. "I can compete with the supermarkets. I’ll earn a little today, a little tomorrow, so I can keep my prices down. But with so few people coming, I know I won’t be here in a couple of years."

Stallholders: Worried about their future

Dean is also concerned that the traditional market atmosphere is disappearing.

"There’s no fun of the fair anymore. Because of some of the rules and regulations, you’re not allowed to open your mouth to say what you’ve got to sell," he said.

"We have to start integrating everything we do with markets -Ìýcar boot sales, farmers' markets and open-air markets. Have it all together – not lots of events individually."

Shepton's Solution

One group of volunteers in Shepton Mallet are taking the matter into their own hands. 'Shepton 21' are carrying out a questionnaire to find out whether people in the town use the weekly street market and what kind of market they would like to have if they could choose.

The group feel that the market could do better if it offered higher quality local produce, rather than cheaper goods. They believe that Shepton Mallet is surrounded by good quality producers, and the market should reflect that.