Sheffield market vendors will be compensated by Amey over last-minute cancellation

Hedgerow Market was booked to bring some community bustle to Division Street last weekend with hundreds of shoppers set to turn out.

However, dozens of homegrown businesses were bitterly disappointed when the event was cancelled less than an hour before opening because contractors Amey PLC failed to close the road in time.

Now, Amey has stated it will compensate any traders who lost out over perishable goods while it investigates what went wrong.

An Amey spokesperson said: “We apologise wholeheartedly to the market traders, local businesses and their customers for the breakdown in communication which led to the intended road closure on Division Street not being implemented as planned ahead of the Hedgerow street food market event on Saturday.

“As a result, Amey will cover the costs of any perishable goods intended for sale by the traders involved and work with its traffic management team and the council to tighten processes and ensure this does not happen again.

"We are looking into the details of exactly what went wrong and in the meantime our priority is to ensure that those impacted are sufficiently reimbursed.”

The event on Saturday was set to be only the third outing for the monthly pop-up market, which launched in August to offer a sales boost for traders during the city centre’s peak Saturday shopping hours.

Hedgerow Market’s organisers has now promised the afternoon of shopping will be back as scheduled on November 6 between 12pm and 6pm. More than 20 businesses are lined up to offer their wares.

An online statement reads: “After missing out last time around (!) Hedgerow Market will be back on Saturday 6th November, with a whole lot of love for Division St, a curated line-up of makers, live music, fresh produce and street food.”

Hedgerow Market was established this year through an application to the city’s Economic Recovery Fund for financial support.

A statement from Sheffield City Council after the closure on Saturday read: “We appreciate how disappointing this is. We’re really sorry & will address with Amey how this came about.”