Letter: Safe as a market

There are a few points which I would like to clarify about Elaine Fogg's article on the safety of Camden Lock Market (19 September). The market operators have been working closely with the police, fire brigade and local authority for some years, to monitor the situation and agree improvements where practical.

It is not correct that Camden receives no income from the market as the rates income alone probably exceeds pounds 1m, not to mention the visitor expenditure in the area, the number of jobs created etc. We also pay directly for weekend ambulance cover.

The suggestion that Wembley pay an unusual extra fee to Brent Council is misleading as all licensed places of entertainment, theatres, concert halls, night clubs and so on, have to make an application and pay a fee based on their capacity. Incidentally, if the council-run markets and the trading they allow on the public highway were aggregated, we may well find that the council is the largest market operation in the area.

Finally, I would point out (while firmly touching wood) that Camden Lock Market has been in operation for over 20 years with possibly 100 million visitors and has had no emergency, nor has anyone been hurt. If this record were compared with other ways of spending time, visiting Camden Lock must be on the list of safe activities.

Eric Reynolds Urban Space Holdings Ltd NW1