Brownhills market could be rescued and relaunched on a smaller scale under council control in last ditch efforts to keep it in the town, it has been revealed.

The long running Tuesday and Saturday markets, which have the capacity for almost 400 stalls, are to finish in May say bosses Spook Erection Ltd. The company’s managing director Lesley Maby says it is being blamed for an increase in counterfeit traders and she added the council is now refusing to communicate with them over the issue.

But Brownhills Councillor Barbara Cassidy today revealed she is arranging a meeting between Spook Erection Ltd and council chiefs as well as members of the public to discuss options for the market.

She said: “The days of thriving big markets on the scale this once was are behind us. This has become quite a tatty area of Brownhills and that area could be used for something more useful.

“What we really need is to look forward rather than back and I think the solution could be a reduced market with the help of the council and policed by the council.”

She added: “Ultimately I think it should be left to the people of Brownhills to decide what happens to the market and whether they want it there or not and we could gauge the opinion at a public meeting.”

Regeneration boss Councillor Adrian Andrew admitted today the door was being left open for more negotiations with Spook Erection Ltd over the future of the market.

He said: “The council will look to do anything it can to support the economy in Brownhills. However, no firm decisions have been made.” And Mrs Maby said she would be happy to hear from the council for ways of securing the market’s future.

It was revealed last week how the markets could shut after more than 40 years in Brownhills.

It has space for 388 traders although only around 50 were on the site last weekend. Mrs Maby had claimed that Walsall Council was unwilling to renew its operators lease.