MARKET traders in Oxford have been busy raising funds to help a stallholder after he was forced to return home to India when his family members were killed.

Bugal Hameed, known as Ash, left the stall he has run for 20 years after learning of the tragedy in Kashmir.

A number of family members, including his father, are reported to have been killed by soldiers in his home village in the Himalayan state.

In his absence, fellow traders Dorothy Megan and Chris Zorndof took on the running of his arts and crafts stall, and started collecting donations to help for funeral costs and medical treatment.

So far they have raised more than £500 and are calling on traders and customers to do their bit.

Trader Chris Zorndof, who has run a book stall next door to Ash's for the last two years, said: "After Ash left I talked to the market manager and asked him we could leave the stall running for a bit. He agreed and luckily we are not being charged for it either.

"You would hope others would do the same for you, if you were in that situation.

"There are a lot of traders and regular customers who know him who have added to the collection.

"We've also become friends and we'll often go for a tea after work, so I was happy to help."

Mr Zorndof said he was told by the news after Ash called him from Heathrow Airport, as he was about to board a plane back to India.

The 39-year-old, who lives in Gloucester, said: "When he called he didn't really say a lot. You could tell he was in shock.

"I think he had just found out the evening before and then went to get the next flight available.

"It has been difficult, I sell books, which takes quite a lot of organising because you always have much more stock than you need, and it's the same with Ash's stall."

The traders are planning to keep the stall – which sells a range of bed spreads, scarves and jewellery among other products – open for at least another week to allow more donations to come in.

Mr Zorndof said the traders would then contact Ash, who has not been told about the stall, to decide how the money should be spent.