Traders' bid for Paddy's market

Glasgow City Council said it wanted to improve the area

Traders have launched a proposal to save Glasgow's Paddy's market by offering to run it themselves.

Glasgow City council wants to transform the area, which has been described as a "crime ridden midden", to accommodate artists studios and craft stalls.

It has put forward a bid to take over the lease from Network Rail as part of its regeneration plans.

But stallholders have made a counter offer which would see them control the 200-year-old market.

Brian Daly, spokesman for the Paddy's market committee, said it played a vital role in providing affordable second-hand goods.

He said: "You can't create a community like this, it just grows. It would be a shame to lose this unique piece of Glasgow's heritage for the sake of creating a sterile precinct."

The traders have put their proposal in a letter to every councillor in the city, which includes a commitment to set up a not-for-profit trust to run the market.

The group also said it had plans to help cut crime in the area, such as fencing-off lanes and vetting traders.