TRADERS who lost their livelihoods in the Canal Market blaze will benefit from more than three quarters of a million pounds. London Mayor Ken Livingstone has pledged £250,000, while the owner of the devastated Canal Market, Camden Market Holding

Ben McPartland

TRADERS who lost their livelihoods in the Canal Market blaze will benefit from more than three quarters of a million pounds.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone has pledged £250,000, while the owner of the devastated Canal Market, Camden Market Holdings (CMH), has kept its promise to double the Mayor's offer by stumping up half a million pounds.

Benefit concerts and donations should push the total financial help for traders beyond £750,000.

"The owners of the market have kept their commitment to give £2 for every £1 pledged by a recovery package from the London Development Agency (LDA), working with Camden Council and Mayor Ken Livingstone," said a spokesman for CMH.

"It is understood that the LDA will be providing aid totalling £250,000 to the traders, bringing the total aid package to £750,000. £500,000 will be given directly to Camden market traders whose businesses were devastated by the recent fire."

This news has gone down well among traders who lost their income in the fire.

Sunny Gulati, who had a Canal Market stall selling leather clothes, said: "I feel better now that I know some money is going to come to us and now we will be able to do something. The first thing I am going to do with it is pay my gas and electricity bills, then I will see if I can buy a pitch somewhere."

Around 90 market traders and shop owners were directly affected by the fire some of whom lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in stock.