Angry traders 'made ill' by lack of heating inside Coventry's indoor market

One trader said it had made her asthma worse and that some traders had not turned up due to the cold



Traders at Coventry Market were sitting in temperatures as low as 2.3C when the cold snap hit last week, it has been claimed. One trader said the arctic conditions had adversely affected her health as the building is not heated.

A faulty door was left open which let the cold in and made working conditions even tougher, a trader said. To make matters worse, the sudden drop in temperatures saw a decrease in footfall, hitting traders square in the pocket.

Speaking last week at the height of the cold snap, one market trader, who did not want to be named said: "There is no heating at all in the market. Some of the doors are faulty and are left open.

"It's not much warmer (inside) than it has been outside. Footfall has been really, really low for this time of year.

"Some traders just haven't come in. It got very cold last year, but I don't remember it being this cold."

They added: "Because we're sitting in the cold, people are very disheartened here and sitting in these temperatures can't be good for anyone. I've got severe asthma and I've noticed it has got worse as a result of the cold."

Winter or summer it's just not worth visiting on some days as half the stalls aren't open.