Market traders told to shout quietly

For 800 years, traders on the cobbled streets of Hexham have cried out about their wares to pull in passing trade.

The hustle and bustle of the market place and the colourful characters who work the stalls were a major tourist attraction in the Northumberland town. Until now. For traders have been told to keep quiet because office workers say the noise gives them a headache.

Officials from Tyneside district council have ruled stall owners at the daily market can call out about their meat, fruit and veg only on Tuesdays and Saturdays if they "shout quietly".



The move has been greeted with disbelief. At Saturday's market, the first since the ban, the atmosphere was strangely muted.

Martin Foster, 29, who works on the fruit and veg stall, said of the gag: "It's ridiculous. Hexham's supposed to be a market town. We pay nearly £1,000 rent and if we can't attract customers, I'm worried the stall won't survive."

The council said: "We appreciate calling out is standard practice on markets but this has gone beyond what is felt to be reasonable."