Tuesday activities at Melton Livestock Market to reopen to public next week

The popular Sunday market car boot sales will also resume there later this month.

However, the animal sales areas, including the cattle building, will remain closed to the general public with only buyers who have pre-registered allowed to enter.

The relaxation of government restrictions to limit the spread of Covid-19 resulted in many of the market’s activities being suspended in March and the Market Tavern pub was also closed.

But from Tuesday June 16, the farmers’ market and the traders hall with be reopened with safety measures in place to maintain social distancing.

There will be a new layout for the hall to aid social distancing and a hand sanitising station for customer use, alongside the plentiful hand-washing facilities.

A market spokesperson said: “The traders hall is unique, in that it is outdoor but under cover and we hope that many of our regular customers will return to enjoy the market and, in turn, support the many individual traders whose livelihoods, like so many others, have been so badly affected since the lockdown in March.

“Throughout these uncertain and strange times our Friday Farmers Market has remained open for essential food shopping, and it will now be able to trade once again on Tuesdays.”

The market said it was keen to return to more normal service on Tuesdays and thanked the public for their support for the limited Friday farmers’ market during lockdown.

The Sunday market car boot sales will reopen to the public from June 21, with the gates opening from 6.30am for traders and 8.30am for the public.

The spokesperson added: “Throughout the Covid lockdown our weekly sales of sheep and cattle have continued as an integral part of the food chain, with auctions now split across both the traditional Tuesday and Wednesday, to keep numbers down on site and help aid social distancing.

“So that we can continue this integral service to our farmers the sheep centre - other than the units underneath it - and cattle building - other than the lobby area - will remain strictly out of bounds to all but registered buyers, who have pre-registered in with the market office.

“There will be for the time being no fur and feather sales or sundries auction on a Tuesday at the market and whilst the Market Tavern will remain shut, there will be plenty of open air catering.

“Given the nature of these sales, a safe and socially distanced auction would be impossible at this time.”