A STALLHOLDER is facing court and is quitting the open market after 14 years in a row over "sneaky" changes to parking rules.
Brent Stables, 55, who sells CDs and bric-a-brac on Tuesdays, is refusing to pay a £50 fine after falling foul of the new rules.
Mr Stables will give up his stall in mid-November and move to Penistone, where parking is free on Tuesdays, or Doncaster.
Until now, market traders were allowed to park their vans or cars until 11am on a service road near Jumble Lane's crossing. They were then asked to move their vehicles over a tannoy.
But under the new rules, stallholders have been given a 45-minute slot to park and set up their stalls.
Mr Stables, who said the council had not let anyone know about the changes, has been given 28 days to pay the fine or face prosecution.
Mr Stables said: "All I'm trying to do is earn a crust. I'm so upset about the sneaky way the rules have been changed.
"If you run a stall alone, it's a struggle to unload your car and set up the stall in 45 minutes.
"I had a stall lined up on the pedestrian precinct for when the demolition of the market starts but I have given notice to quit.
"It will cost the council £1,000 a year in rents and parking fees because I used to put my car in the multi-storey car park after 11am."
Mr Stables said about 30 other stallholders had been fined.
Coun Kath Mitchell, cabinet support member for place, said: "There hasn’t been any change to loading/unloading times around the markets since January 2012.
"Large signage in the area advises traders that they can park for one hour with no return within one hour.
"We are unaware of any problems with traders loading/unloading however, any traders that are experiencing any issues should contact the market management team.
"If any trader has received a parking fine they should follow the council’s guidance on how to challenge it. They can find this information on our website"
