COVERED Market traders are urging landlords Oxford City Council to do more to promote the historic retail centre.

Traders have expressed their concerns after units selling fresh food closed down.

City council managers took the opportunity to promote the market by putting up posters highlighting the attraction in the doorway of the former Jones Bootmaker store in Queen Street.

But rough sleepers have left their belongings in the doorway of the shop unit, which is owned by the council.

Sandie Griffith, secretary of the Covered Market Tenants Association, said she welcomed the council’s initiative.

She added much more needed to be done to promote the market, which first opened in the 1770s.

Ms Griffith, who runs Jemini flower shop in the market, said: “It’s good to see the market being promoted in this way – Queen Street is not far away so it’s a good place to remind people about what the market has to offer.

“But this needs to happen in more than just one location.

“We were hoping that some sort of advertising for the Covered Market would go up in the Westgate Centre but this hasn’t happened yet.”

Elaine Philip, the council’s market manager, said she was liaising with market traders and looking for ways to promote the market.

The council has announced a £1.6m programme of investment in the fabric of the Grade II listed building over the next four years.

Haymans, the only fishmongers, relocated all its operations to Osney Mead last year and McCarthy’s Fruit & Veg stall, run by the Baskerville family, also closed.

John Lindsey butcher shut in January, with the family firm concentrating on running its other unit, Feller’s.

Ms Griffith said: “It’s worrying that Haymans and other fresh food units closed.

“When businesses do decide to leave, the council needs to ensure it is asking reasonable rent for the unit.”

Ms Griffith said the £26,250 annual rent for 40-41 Covered Market, which has been occupied by pop-up shop A Rosie Life, could put some businesses off.

She added: “The rent the council is asking for that unit is higher than I would expect.

“I think there could be a better way of advertising empty units so that we don’t put businesses off.

“The council could target the type of traders it wants to see in the market – we could do with a bookshop and a deli for instance.

“It’s right that the council is spending money on the building but more needs to be invested in marketing.”

Traders are also worried the market is at the centre of a proposed zero emission zone, which would ban some vehicles by 2020.