A craft maker told she faces a four year wait to get a stall in Kingston’s Market Place has called on the council to more heavily vet the stalls allowed.

Kingston resident Sophie Chandler blasted some of the stalls as cheap and said they were not drawing people to the town.

She said: “This is a historical square and they should be vetting what is there.

“I don’t know why they aren’t looking to promote really lovely looking stalls. They don’t seem to care about the look of it.

“I think it’s really shocking, the stalls are awful and it’s really letting it down. The food stalls are fine but second hand videos and fancy dress just don’t go.”

A spokesman for Kingston Council said there was “considerable interest” from traders and stalls were let according to the terms of a Royal Charter.

The charter stipulates stalls be issued via a waiting list and the council said the length of wait depended on the nature of the business.

They said: “For some it has been a number of years. We allocate space to ensure related goods are located together and to ensure that overall visitors have a wide range of goods to chose from.

“Kingston Council is proud of the market’s heritage and the considerable demand from potential traders is an indication of its continued success through economically uncertain times.

“The council is pleased to work with good traders who are able to develop the mix of goods on offer and help ensure the continued success of Kingston’s ancient market.”

Do you agree some of the stalls look cheap? Let us know at surreycomet.co.uk