TAVISTOCK Pannier Market will open on Mondays during the school summer holidays next year, following a trial period of extra opening times this year.

Trading hours are also to increase.

Members of the town council's properties committee heard last Monday that this summer's trial period of opening on a Monday between May and September had been a success for some of the time, but not throughout the whole five months.

Cllr Brian Trew said: 'The feeling was that the six weeks of the summer holiday was extremely beneficial, but as soon as the children went back to school, the pannier market was dead on a Monday.

'My view is yes, it may very well be worthwhile opening on Mondays in the holidays, but I doubt the wisdom of doing it all year.'

Cllr Ted Sherrell said: 'I think the six weeks is fair enough, and to have the other options at Christmas and Easter. It seemed to work reasonably well.

But Cllr John Sellis felt the market should be open for longer. He said: 'I think we should stick with what we had this year. I went in the market several times in September and it was quite busy. I thought the idea was to be open as long as possible — an awful lot of people take their holidays outside the school holidays.

'We should look at a longer period, certainly from the beginning of June to the end of September.

Cllr Trew's proposal that the market opens on Mondays during the school summer holidays, the two weeks leading up to Christmas, and on Easter, May and August bank holidays was carried.

Opening and closing times in the market are also set to change.

Currently, the market is open from 9am until 4pm. Cllr Trew said the traders in general were happy to open at 8.30am and although there had been 'some resistance' to closing later than 4pm, it was agreed that 4.30pm was acceptable.

He said: 'They don't have to open until 9am if they don't want to, but some people come in before 9 o'clock and go to Bob's Café, and would like to do some shopping before they go to work, and mums that have just dropped children at school would like to shop, or after they have picked them up they may want to buy things before they go home.'

Town mayor Cllr Philip Sanders said: 'I am in favour of earlier opening, as long as we are not creating problems for people setting up their stalls.'

The committee agreed traders should be allowed to open from 8.30am on a voluntary basis, and the market would now remain open until 4.30pm. Traders will be given permission to close at 4pm on Christmas Eve.

The decisions were due to be ratified by the full council at its meeting on Tuesday night.