PAINTERS and decorators have started to give Oxford’s Covered Market a much-needed facelift.

Traders have long complained Oxford City Council, which owns and runs the historic market, has not spent enough money renovating it.

But yesterday workmen started the first phase of a £100,000 project to upgrade its appearance, by cleaning and painting its four entrances off High Street.

The work is being funded by the city council and Oxfordshire County Council in a joint bid to ensure the attraction remains a jewel in Oxford’s crown.

The two councils have each contributed £50,000 towards a catalogue of work, which is being carried out after consultation with the Covered Market Traders’ Association.

Over the next few months the market — which is now open on Sundays — will be intensively cleaned, decorations will be put up and improvements made to the stone facade on Market Street.

A modern fire alarm and PA system will also be fitted.

Covered Market trader Sandie Griffith, who runs Jemini Flowers, said: “We have been waiting a long time for this work to start — it’s long overdue.

“The entrances are a really important part of the Covered Market and they were really dire, so I am glad they have started work on them.

“You just have to look at this place to see it has been neglected for so long — the roof looks like a colander — but at least this work is a start, although it’s really just scratching the surface.

“It will be interesting to see where we go after this money is all spent and how long we have to wait for another input of cash.”

The Covered Market – one of Oxford’s major tourist attractions – was officially opened in November 1774 to clear messy and unsavoury stalls from city streets.

John Bellenger, the city council’s buildings, design and facilities manager, said: “We have brought forward the work in the avenues off the High Street so it is done prior to Christmas.

“We hope people will see a noticeable improvement.”

City councillor Colin Cook, executive member for city development, said the market’s longer-term problems would have to be dealt with when finances allowed, but warned there were a lot of calls on the council’s purse.

He added: “We have increased the capacity of the roof to deal with flash floods, but we are never going to absolutely guarantee that a dead pigeon is not going to fall into one of the downpipes and block it.

“Because it (the Covered Market) is a listed building there is not a great deal we can do to change its structure.”

gsheldrick@oxfordmail.co.uk