Market traders have won a two-year battle for a canopy that is up to the job.

A £125,000 replacement canopy at Brighton's Open Market failed to protect traders and their goods from the weather.

The stallholders called it a waste of public money and said it was ugly.

Now, after two years of complaints, Brighton and Hove City Council has offered to pay to put a second plastic covering around the market, near London Road.

It will go up in two stages, with the first expected to cost £30,000.

But for many stallholders the saga has been symptomatic of the council's lack of concern for the market.

Mary Mears, chairwoman of the Open Market Traders' Association, said: "We've had horrendous problems with the canopy since it went up.

"The wind gets under it, the rain gets under it and when the sun is low there is no protection and it cooks the fruit and vegetables.

"We were told the canopy would be birdproof but the seagulls love it and seem to have made it their home.

"It also looks awful. It's supposed to be self-cleaning but it is disgustingly dirty."

Some traders were so fed up with the problems they clubbed together to buy a smaller plastic canopy, similar to the one that was there before the council's.

Bob Way, who owns the haberdashery stall near the market's entrance, cashed in £2,000 of savings to pay for his part of the plastic cover two years ago.

He said the canopy provided by the council had proved worse than the original and failed to protect his stall.

He said: "It was a case of put up or shut up. When it's your livelihood you don't have a choice."

Mr Way, who has had a stall at the market for 20 years, said: "The whole place needs to be revamped but the council doesn't seem to want to encourage people to shop here.

"It needs a big investment to pull in fresh customers but stallholders are being driven away by rising rents.

"I paid £12,000 for my two stalls and I couldn't give them away today.

"We're hanging on by our teeth. If the council wants to close it, it needs to be fair to traders and not let the market dwindle slowly away."

A council spokeswoman said: "We have been in consultation with the traders. This is now in its fourth month and work should commence on the second canopy by Christmas.

"It is what the traders have called for."