I visited a traditional Sandwell market with a long history to find out why residents love it so much

This traditional indoor market first began in the 1800s with a trading area made of informal outdoor stalls.

Blackheath Market, located in Sandwell, became an official market building in 1912 and remains open and busy to this day - and is much-loved by locals.

Visitors can find everything from meat, dairy and fresh fruit to ready-made cobs and traditional sweets.

The market operates on a Monday, Friday and Saturday from 8am with visitors flocking to browse the stalls and independent sellers.

I went down to find out what keeps the place thriving so many years on and found a clear love affair between Black Country people and the market, with regulars visiting the shops there week on week.

Ruth Bradshaw who runs family owned Bonser’s stall said: “We’ve been at this market for decades and in the 1970s it came up for sale.

“My father with other traders from the market decided to buy it together and so it is literally owned by market traders and that is why it keeps running as we actually know how to run a market.

“We get a lot of customers because they repeat and they come around and go on about how lovely this is. It’s a lovely market.”

Butcher Jolene Britton commented on why the market is so special to the area: “it’s the clientele I suppose, you get the regulars in every week and there’s a good supply of different things like the deli, the cobs store, the butchers and the fruiters. There’s nothing that isn’t here.

“The regulars are nice and down to earth Black Country folk and we know most of them by name”

Kerry Yates from Ye Old Sweet Shop said: “It’s still a really nice and friendly clean town. You get good and bad everywhere but it seems to be quite a nice town still.

“I’ve been here 20 years and went to school in Blackheath. I don’t live in Blackheath but it’s not changed really. We lost some of the businesses but the people are still nice.”

Married couple Vicky Bates and Paul Bates visit the market every week meeting a group of friends and shared how sociable and friendly the people in the area are.

Vicky said: “It’s the best market in the Midlands because everybody knows one and other.”

“Everybody is friendly,” added Paul.

Dean Banks said: “We’ve been in here for 50 years now and we’re still really busy. The customers are great, they come every week, they’re regular and they spend their money with us.

“They love a bargain in Blackheath.”

“Get yourself down here. Get some bargains from us. We’ve always got something new something different. Just ask the customers,” he added.