CRITICISM was this week levelled at the organisers of Thursday?s European elections in Tavistock, following a big drop in trade in Tavistock Pannier Market.

The market was used by West Devon Borough Council as a polling station for the election, forcing traders and their customers out for the day.

Chairman of the town council?s pannier market sub committee, Cllr Mandy Govier, who is also a borough councillor, said: ?The pannier market lost not only one day?s trading, but several traders did not trade all week due to the inconvenience caused by the election.

?The town council also had to refund weekly traders for one day of missed business, as well as overtime payments to staff, so the market was manned throughout polling day.?

Cllr Govier said the town council had undertaken alterations in the town hall ?at considerable expense? on the recommendation of the borough, to enable it, and not the pannier market, to be used as a polling station.

She said: ?Surely on a day when more people come into town to exercise their democratic right, the market would have had a good trading day, allowing traders to earn an income. The town council would not have lost money and best value would have been given to the residents of Tavistock who pay their community charge.?

Market reeve Eddie Carruthers confirmed the election had made a real difference to trade in the market.

?It?s been abysmal,? he said. ?I think it?s wrong they close the market for a whole day, doing the traders out of a lot of trade.?

Town clerk Roger Howard said: ?We have asked on a number of occasions that they move the polling station ? unfortunately the rule is they can choose anywhere that is maintained out of the rates.

?We have told them we have the town hall standing empty and what you are doing is chucking 50 or 60 traders out who are all losing income for the day ? and so is the town council.?

Col Howard said in the past, the borough has complained that the town hall lighting was not good enough, that the stairs were slippery and officers were worried about disabled access.

?We?ve re-jigged the lighting so that?s OK, the stairs are now carpeted so they?re not slippery, and we?ve got a lift for disabled access,? said Col Howard.

?The pannier market was exactly the right place in the past, when there were only markets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but it?s not like that any more.?

Col Howard said the council has written to the borough, asking it to confirm it will use the town hall in future.

?We have done everything we can,? he said.

David Incoll, borough chief executive and returning officer for the constituency, said: ?Our policy is to provide the most convenient and accessible location for voting and it is on this basis that the pannier market is used for all elections.

?No suitable alternative has been identified, particularly bearing in mind forthcoming disabled legislation.?